Romania's Liberal Party (PNL) has said it has ended its ruling coalition with the Social Democrats but would not leave the government before the general elections at the beginning of December, following the furore over the upcoming presidential election.

“Our ruling coalition with the Social Democrats ends here,” but “we remain in the executive only to prevent the full escalation of abuses that they can achieve to win elections,” Nicolae Ciuca, PNL leader, said on October 7 in a statement that prompted confusion over its political implications.

The row potentially threatens the future of the ruling coalition, with Prime Minister and Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu offering to resign if the Liberal ministers withdraw. Opposition liberal party USR meanwhile has announced a no-confidence vote against the government to test the Liberals' position.

The two ruling partners in Romania, who have been in a coalition since 2021, were anyway expected to openly display their disagreements ahead of the general elections, where they run on separate lists for parliament, and they each have seperate candidates in the presidential elections, which will be held on November 24 and a run-off on December 8. It is not clear therefore how much of a difference the PNL's gesture will mean in practice, either before those elections or in the coalition negotiations afterwards.

Ciuca explained that his gesture was prompted by the latest decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) to reject the presidential candidacy of far-right politician Diana Sosoaca, which “raises a big question mark regarding democracy in Romania”.

CCR rejected the candidacy of Sosoaca in a  move that is expected to help the other far-right candidate, George Simion reach the run-off, where Ciolacu will now be a firm favourite.

“For the first time in Romania's history, a majority of five judges, four of whom were appointed by the Social Democrats, decided that someone could not run [for president],” the Liberal leader claimed.

Ciuca said this is why the ruling coalition can not continue – while adding that the Liberals cannot step down from the seats they hold because this would allow the Social Democrats to overthrow the democratic regime in Romania.

“I will make sure that this will not happen and that Romania will not fall completely into the hands of the Social Democrats. It is a duty of honour and loyalty to our country,”  Ciuca explained.

The constitutional court has said the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) failed to do its job of spotting irregularities in the documents filed by Sosoaca and it also failed to assess her lack of attachment to democratic values.

The current opinion polls indicate that it will be very difficult to form a government after the general elections that does not include both the Social Democrats and the PNL.