Romanian PM Ponta Survives No-Confidence Vote

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta (C) before announcing his candidacy for the Romanian presidential election, at the National Arena stadium, in Bucharest, Romania, 20 September 2014. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The Parliament in Bucharest has rejected a motion of no confidence submitted by the opposition against Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

Lawmakers from Klaus Iohannis' Christian-Liberal alliance have accused the leftist Ponta of attempting to manipulate the forthcoming presidential vote.

Their motion was supported by just 154 MPs in both houses of Parliament, with at least 288 needed to pass it.

Ponta is currently his party's presidential candidate for the vote in November, and many polls are suggesting he has a clear lead on other contenders.

A CSCI poll cited by Euronews suggested he could get 42%, with Iohannis, an ethnic German, lagging behind with 27 percent.

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