Tensions have run high in Romania since the election was annulled in December following allegations that Russian interference had propelled far-right NATO critic Calin Georgescu into pole position in the first round.
Analysts had said the three hard-right parties that filed the no-confidence motion - which accused the two-month-old coalition government led by Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of corruption and of losing credibility - had done so to boost their profile before the rerun.
The three parties won around 35% of seats in a parliamentary election on December 1 last year, capitalising on voters' anger with a centrist establishment facing accusations of corruption.
The no-confidence motion was supported by 144 lawmakers, short of the 233 votes needed to pass.
"You are not interested in the problems Romanians are confronting every day," Ciolacu told opposition lawmakers before the vote. "You infect society day by day with the virus of lies and hatred."
"The political chaos you want to bring in Romania will be automatically followed by economic chaos. The euro will reach the sky. All construction sites will be closed. People will live in poverty unable to pay their bills."
Opposition lawmakers shouted "thieves" during his speech.
"You are the ugly face of the system which mocked this country for 35 years," George Simion, the leader of hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians, told Ciolacu.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday they had launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu over accusations including promoting antisemitism. Georgescu has said he will run again.
Members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration have criticised Romania for annulling the election.
Georgescu, who has praised Romania's 1930s fascist leaders and expressed admiration for both the U.S. and Russian presidents, remains voters' top choice for the presidency, according to opinion polls.
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Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Oil has crossed the $100-a-barrel mark again, but for Gulf countries this is not simply good news. Brent reached about $100.07 on Wednesday, its highest level since July, as the U.S.-Iran war and attacks on Saudi energy facilities raised fresh fears about supplies.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Daily Brief. Here are the top stories for the 10th of September, covering the latest developments about AI and technology.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to send every American adult a $5,000 payment if the Republicans keep control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in November's midterm elections.
At least five people have died and more than 80 others remain unaccounted for after a passenger ferry caught fire off the western Philippines, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation involving the coast guard, government agencies and local fishing communities.
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