Romania - Romania's new prime minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu won parliamentary approval on Thursday for a government that offers little political change but might ease some austerity measures as an election nears.

Four days after Emil Boc resigned as premier following weeks of unrest against an IMF-approved regime of spending cuts and tax increases, Ungureanu and the president, Traian Basescu, have nine months at most to reverse the fortunes of the centrist Democrat-Liberal Party (PDL).

Ungureanu, the 43-year-old former foreign intelligence chief to whom Basescu turned to when Boc bowed to popular anger, has reshuffled the cabinet. The ruling coalition remains, with a narrow majority of 237 votes in the 463-seat parliament.

The leftist opposition Social Liberal Alliance (USL), led by Victor Ponta, boycotted the vote.

It has been pushing for the parliamentary election to be held earlier than its November deadline to capitalize on its strong showing in opinion polls.