In this Dec 23, 2020 photo, Romanian designated Prime Minister Florin Citu addresses the Parliament during the vote of confidence at the Romanian Parliament, in Bucharest. (DANIEL MIHAILESCU / AFP)

BUCHAREST - The junior USR-Plus partner in Romania's centrist coalition government will remove its ministers from the cabinet on Tuesday, paving the way for a parliamentary vote of no-confidence against Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu.

PM Florin Citu, a relative newcomer but backed by centrist President Klaus Iohannis, hopes to win the Liberal Party leadership in an internal election this month

The fracture of the three-party coalition, which includes Romania's largest party, Citu's Liberals, an ethnic Hungarian group and the USR-Plus, could endanger an ambitious agenda to reduce the Black Sea state's budget and external deficits.

Crisis talks on Friday between coalition partners failed to yield a deal to support Citu, with USR-Plus insisting on toppling him with the help of opposition ultra-nationalists.

"Tomorrow morning, our ministers' resignation papers will sit on the premier's table," USR leader Dan Barna told reporters. "This is a tough decision and... we're not going to have a negotiating night."

The coalition jointly controls 56 percent of parliament, and Barna stressed that his grouping would like to keep the current governing coalition, "but without Citu, as he lost our trust."

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Barna had said the USR-Plus has been gathering 122 signatures for a no-confidence vote with the help of nationalist party AUR, after its justice minister was sacked when he opposed a local infrastructure development funding scheme.

The 10 billion-euro (US$11.87 billion) funding programme designed by Citu to support local communities' infrastructure projects was approved by the government last week but was deemed by USR as a tool to lure powerful town mayors to back Citu at a nationwide level.

To pass, the USR-Plus no-confidence motion would need at least 234 votes, with the bulk of leftist opposition Social Democrats deputies required to back it. A calendar for the motion is to be approved by deputies on Tuesday.

Citu, a relative newcomer but backed by centrist President Klaus Iohannis, hopes to win the Liberal Party leadership in an internal election this month.