Plans to amend the Constitution have entered a new stage

The parliamentary committee for the revision of Romanias Constitution has adopted a draft law to this aim.

Ştefan Stoica, 20.06.2013, 13:27

Most of the substantial changes to Romania’s Constitution concern the relationships between the state’s main institutions: Parliament, the President’s Office and the Government. According to the draft law approved on Wednesday by a parliamentary committee, the main beneficiaries of the revision process are the Romanian citizens, who will enjoy greater rights and individual liberties, as well as Parliament, which will have greater power and authority, especially in its relationship with the President’s Office. This opinion is shared by the chairman of the Committee for the revision of the Constitution, the Liberal MP Crin Antonescu.

As regards the president’s responsibilities, the committee underlined the need to clarify certain aspects in order to avoid political and institutional crises in the future. The main opposition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and Dan Diaconescu’s Party of the People walked out from the meeting to protest against the fact that the draft law does not take into consideration the consultative referendum of 2009, as required by president Traian Basescu. At the time, the majority of Romanian voters stood for the introduction of a single chamber Parliament, with only 300 members. According to the Liberal Democrats, their party refuses to endorse what they call the infringement of the people’s sovereignty and the rule of law by a committee that ignores the results of the referendum.

The main ally of the Liberal Democratic Party in this battle is the head of state, Traian Basescu. With the declared aim to determine lawmakers to observe the people’s will, the president started a procedure to hold a new referendum on the same issue, the introduction of a single chamber parliament. For their part, the representatives of the ruling Social-Liberal Union have invoked the people’s will, which they say was clearly expressed in the December 2012 elections, when the Social Liberal Union won a large majority, having clearly stated that it is in favour of a two-chamber parliament.

Currently, the draft is being submitted for approval to the Legislative Council and the Constitutional Court. Afterwards, it will return to parliament for debate and approval. The Council of Europe Venice Commission will also have its say, with some its members travelling to Bucharest in early July for talks with the Romanian officials on the amendments to the country’s fundamental law.