Romania's beleaguered left-wing government collapsed in a no-confidence vote Thursday, paving the way for the president to appoint a new prime minister in the poor, corruption-plagued EU member country. The fall comes just weeks before a presidential election and as controversy swirls over the country's nominee for EU commissioner.

Viorica Dancila, who heads Romania's biggest party the Social Democrats (PSD), lost her parliamentary majority in August when a junior coalition partner withdrew its support, citing major disagreements. That followed hard on the heels of shock losses for the PSD in May's European Parliament elections and the jailing of its once all-powerful leader, Liviu Dragnea, on corruption charges.

A total of 238 MPs in the 465-seat parliament voted in favour of the motion against Dancila's government, clearing the way for President Klaus Iohannis to name a new prime minister. Iohannis said he would meet with all political parties, including the PSD, on Friday "because Romania urgently needs a new government".

"I will propose an executive with a clear mandate to assure that the country is run responsibly and effectively until the next elections," he said in a televised speech. He said snap elections could be the best solution but may not be feasible before the current term runs out late next year. It is unclear how he will manage to steer the divergent opposition. Undermined by internal dissent, the opposition has so far failed to agree on an alternative candidate to Dancila.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019