The Senate President Tariceanu is collecting signatures to suspend romanian President Basescu
The Senate President, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, president of the Liberal Reform Party (PLR), declared at the Parliament House that the party that he is leading will gather signatures, come Monday, to begin the proceedings to suspend Traian Basescu from the presidency of Romania.
During the press conference that he held on Monday at the Senate, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu also announced the calendar which he proposes for the impeachment: on the 23rd of September – voting in the Parliament on the request for impeachment and on November the 2nd – Referendum.
I have taken steps in presenting the group leaders of both the Senate and the Chamber the initiative to suspend the President of Romania. Today at 12.00, I have a meeting with the leaders of the parliamentary groups of the Senate. The main issue is related to the negotiation of the proportions in the Permanent Bureau and in the committee structures, but on this occasion I will also have the opportunity to present the request for impeachment
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
President of Senate
The Senate President said that he will not seek, after the possible dismissal of Traian Basescu, to be Acting President, but instead that would be exercised by the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea.
He also stated that on Monday he will initiate discussions with the leaders of the parliamentary groups of the Chamber of Deputies.
On Friday evening during a press conference, Tariceanu exhibited the reasons underlying the initiative for Basescu’s impeachment.
Given the many violations of the Constitution by the President of Romania in 2013 and 2014, I suggest initiating the Constitutional procedure of suspending and dismissing the President of Romania, with the following schedule: suspension by the Parliament of the President of Romania around the 23rd of September and organizing the Referendum for dismissing him on the 2nd of November, the same day on which the first round of the presidential elections will be held. The coincidence of the date of the first round of the presidential elections with the Referendum for dismissing the President of Romania will create favorable conditions for the fulfillment of the legal quorum of 50%+1
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
According to Tariceanu, this initiative comes as a result of „recent and notorious political events”, which would have constituted in „official unequivocal warnings against the anti-constitutional behavior of the President of Romania”.
The President of Senate mentioned the declaration adopted by the Parliament on the 25th of June, calling for the resignation of the head of state, and the press release which he gave as President of Senate, on the 21st of August, on the meeting at the Cotroceni Palace between the head of state and a delegation of the PMP (Popular Movement Party), and the subsequent statements made by Traian Basescu on a TV station.
„The official warnings have been ignored these days in a public and defiant manner by the President of Romania. The direct and institutional intervention of Mr. Traian Basescu at the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, on the matter of the portfolio and the Romanian candidate for the European Commissioner function and to support the position of party presidents Vasile Blaga and Klaus Johannis, is an escalation of the unconstitutional practices and a double violation of the Constitution by the President of Romania” Tariceanu also stated.
„First of all, the direct action, developed under the aegis of the presidential institution to the President of the European Commission, is an attempt to defeat and cancel the Government’s decision regarding Romania’s representation in the European Commission and, thereby, a serious violation of the Constitution by exceeding the Presidential attributions. The Romanian Government is, by law, the only public authority that has the right to negotiate the portfolio incumbent to Romania and to propose the person that will fill the position as European Commissioner, as it has happened in the past with Mr. Leonard Orban and Mr. Dacian Ciolos as Romania’s proposals for appointment as European Commissioners. Secondly, by unequivocally and publicly supporting the letters addressed to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and to the President of the EPP Group, Joseph Daul, by the Presidents of Parties, Vasile Blaga and Klaus Johannis, the President of Romania has abandoned his role as mediator and was again in a deeply partisan position, outside constitutional provisions.” – Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, President of Senate, President of PLR
Tariceanu added that due to “exclusive debates and consultation with liberal colleagues of the PLR”, the decision was made to initiate the suspension and dismissal of the President.
„Surely, parties and parliamentarians will oppose this initiative” Tariceanu says, who further indicates that he is trying to anticipate their motivation and to come up with a series of counter-arguments. He referred to the possible motivation that an eventual suspension “will allow Traian Basescu to freely participate in the electoral campaign”.
Out of fair-play in the competition that I am participating on behalf of the PLR, to not create an unfair advantage over the other competitors and to not give rise to speculation, I am declaring right now that after the suspension of the Presidential office I will not accept to serve as Acting President of Romania, as the Constitution provides, and this position will be filled by the President of The Chamber of Deputies
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
Tariceanu also sustains the fact that, following the action that he proposes, “A number of issues will arise, related to the mentality of some politicians and to the hypocritical propaganda promoted during the presidential campaign, deftly camouflaged by the parties and by the candidates who are working for the perpetuation of the Basescu regime; the two sides will be clearly outlined. Those who will join us are those that want to ‘bury’ the Basescu regime, and those that won’t sign with us are those who want the perpetuation of the Basescu regime”.
The Senate President said that in the coming days the initiators will publish the “Suspension Demand”, the text with which they will invite all the parliamentarians to join them on initiating the procedure of impeaching the President.
„If at least a third will sign out of the total number of parliamentarians, the text will further be submitted to the Parliament of The Constitutional Court for its opinion. The PLR parliamentarians will be the first ones to sign this petition” Tariceanu added.
O.C.