Romania government toppled in no-confidence vote

Romania's prime minister has been removed in a no-confidence vote after MPs backed a motion against Ilie Bolojan in parliament.

Lawmakers voted 281 to 233 in favour of the motion, comfortably above the threshold needed to pass it.

The vote followed the collapse of Bolojan's four-party coalition after the Social Democrats withdrew and later joined the far-right opposition to support the move.

Bolojan will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new government is approved.

President Nicusor Dan is expected to begin talks on rebuilding a governing majority, possibly under a different prime minister or a technocrat.

The result matters because Romania is an EU and Nato member bordering Ukraine, and the political upheaval comes as the country tries to cut its budget deficit.

Financial markets had already reacted nervously, with the leu falling to a record low against the euro ahead of the vote.

The coalition had been in office for about 10 months and was formed in part to counter the rise of the far-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians, which won about one-third of parliamentary seats.

Tensions grew as austerity measures hit voters and widened the split between Bolojan's liberal camp and the Social Democrats.

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