The “Iohannis-senator” project, pending. PNL wants clarifications from the Central Electoral Office

1014 readings

The PNL notified the Central Electoral Bureau for a ruling on the amendment that allows the candidacy of President Iohannis in the parliamentary elections, PNL representatives reported on Monday, September 23. The notification was made as a result of the opinion formulated by the Legislative Council in relation to the amendment proposed by the liberals to the Law on the election of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

The announcement comes in the context in which the social democrats will meet on Monday, at 11:00 a.m., to decide whether they support the project in Parliament, and PSD sources say that a decision against the liberal project is possible.

“The PNL notified the Central Electoral Bureau, based on the opinion of the Legislative Council, to pronounce on this matter, respectively the amendment submitted by the PNL to Law 208/2015”, stated the party’s representatives.

They also specified that, consequently, the PNL will not put the debate of the amendment on the agenda of the Permanent Bureau of the Senate until it receives an answer from the BEC.

PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu said that, in his opinion, no additional legislation would be needed so that Iohannis could run if he wanted to and he mentioned that the social democrats will make a decision on the liberal initiative on Monday.

Social-democratic sources also state that the PSD leadership forum could decide not to support the coalition partners’ amendment in the Parliament.

The single article introduces a new paragraph, with the following content:

“The President of Romania, depending on the date of the election of the Chamber of Deputies, if he is in the last 3 months of his mandate, can run as an independent candidate on the lists of a political party, a political alliance or an electoral alliance to obtain a senator or deputy mandate. If a senator or deputy is elected, the president of Romania is obliged, after validation, to choose between the quality of senator or deputy and that of president”.

The Economic and Social Council (CES) gave an unfavorable opinion to the PNL proposal. “The independence of the President, claimed by the Constitution, is called into question with the association with a political party, even if he remains independent on the lists of this party”, is one of the arguments CES, which also invokes the “need for increased credibility and stability” of the electoral legislation.