The leaders of the new Parliament

Calin Popescu Tariceanu is the new Senate Speaker, while Liviu Dragnea has been elected the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

Daniela Budu, 22.12.2016, 13:36

Calin Popescu Tariceanu will hold on to his position as Senate Speaker, while Liviu Dragnea will be the new Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The two leaders of the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats were the only nominations for these positions and their votes show just how solid a majority the two parties enjoy in the two chambers of Parliament.

Calin Popescu Tariceanu was trusted with a new mandate as Senate Speaker by 87 votes in favour and 40 against. He was nominated by both the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, which shows that the alliance of the two parties is strong, also enjoying the support of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Tariceanu has urged his fellow Senators to take their jobs seriously so as to make Parliament a powerful institution that should protect citizens’ rights and liberties. The Senate Speaker went on to say that Parliament should assume the role of primary legislator. Tariceanu said Parliament is the foundation of Liberal democracy, and a strong Parliament can only be beneficial for Romania.

In turn, Liviu Dragnea, elected as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies with 216 votes in favour and 101 against, has called on Deputies, irrespective of their political affiliation, to join efforts to support projects that are important for the country. Liviu Dragnea says reforming the Constitution and restoring citizens’ trust in Parliament should be the main priorities of the new Parliament.

Also worth noting is that at least six MPs in the opposition have voted to nominate Dragnea and Tariceanu as the heads of the two chambers. As regards the majority in Parliament, the Social Democrats, who won 45% of the parliamentary vote on December 11, and its junior partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, grabbed 6% of the vote. Accordingly, the two parties enjoy a fairly solid majority in Parliament. A total of six political parties made it to Parliament.

The new legislative body will have 465 members, 120 less than the previous legislature. In addition, the parties have also decided on the membership of Parliament’s subcommittees. The Social-Democrats have secured the leadership of the committees on budget, defense, labour and healthcare. The National Liberal Party, the second-largest parliamentary party, will control four committees. The Save Romania Union and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats got two committees while the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and the People’s Movement Party will control one committee each. In the Senate, the Social-Democrats have taken hold of 11 committees, while five committees have been placed under Liberal leadership.

(Translated by Vlad Palcu)