BUCHAREST, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Romania's new cabinet headed by Social Democrat Sorin Grindeanu on Wednesday easily won the vote of confidence in the parliament controlled by the ruling coalition.
The coalition cabinet of the Social Democrat Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats was validated with 295 votes in favor and 133 against in a joint plenary session of the bicameral legislature, much more than the required half plus one of the total MPs.
The votes showed that the ruling majority was also supported by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well as deputies of the minority group whose leaders publicly said they would vote for the cabinet.
The against votes came from the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the the People's Movement.
"The purpose of all our actions is the prosperity of those who voted for us and are paying taxes and fees," Grindeanu told the parliament before voting, stressing that they do not come to government to have nice statistics on paper, the economic growth does not have any value if it is not noticed in a way or another in Romanians' pockets.
The designated prime minister stated that he aims for a normal Romania, where abnormality would be an exception, not a rule.
According to him, a normal country means, among others, no queues for paying taxes, good conditions for raising children, a developed healthcare system, highways, but also a country in which the government must look for ensuring high wages for its citizens.
Grindeanu's cabinet has four more members than the ongoing technocrat government and consists of two deputy prime ministers, 24 ministers and two ministers-delegate, with the two deputy prime ministers also holding posts of minister.
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, a junior partner of the coalition, have four ministers in the new government, with co-chairman of the alliance Daniel Constantin to be designated deputy prime minister, holding also portfolio of environment minister.
Grindeanu, 43, was appointed on Friday by President Iohannis to form a new government.
In Romania's general elections last month, the Social Democrats won more than 45 percent of the vote. Together with the Alliance of Democrats and Liberals, it has an outright majority of 250 seats in the 465-member parliament.
