Romania’s PM toppled by unlikely political alliance

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Romania’s centrist prime minister has been ousted in a no-confidence vote, raising fears of a debt crisis in one of the EU’s biggest countries. Ilie Bolojan came to power less than a year ago, tasked with reducing the biggest budget deficit in the bloc and containing the growing influence of the far right. He had started to balance the books and avoided a ratings downgrade. But his austerity measures have angered the centre-left Social Democratic Party, the biggest group in parliament, who walked out of his coalition last month and then formed an unlikely alliance with the far right to topple Bolojan. With elections not due until 2028, another pro-EU coalition is likely to be cobbled together. But the country has an uncertain future. If it does not continue to trim its deficit, it could be blocked from receiving €10bn in EU funds.