Irregularities at the referendum brought to court
A delegation of the Venice Commission came to Bucharest for talks with the Romanian authorities, as they are to draw up a report on the constitutional situation in this country.
Eugen Cojocariu, 11.09.2012, 22:11
A delegation of the Venice Commission came to Bucharest for talks with the Romanian authorities, as they are to draw up a report on the constitutional situation in this country. The Venice Commission delegates have met with the Romanian President, Traian Basescu, who told them that the government and the Social Liberal parliamentary majority more than once acted in an abusive manner, by issuing emergency ordinances meant to prevent the Constitutional Court from verifying Parliament’s decisions.
Nevertheless President Basescu said that state institutions such as the Constitutional Court, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Directorate showed resilience to political pressure, thus confirming the existence of the rule of law in Romania.
Traian Basescu: “My conclusion is that, at the moment, Romania has institutions able to resist political pressure. These events have given us the opportunity to see this reality confirmed, even if it may come as a surprise to some people or on the contrary, as a confirmation of the existence of the rule of law in Romania. “
On July 29th Romanians voted in a referendum on the impeachment of president Traian Basescu. The referendum was invalidated due to the low turnout, established by a law whose controversial alteration, eventually for the benefit for the presidential institution, triggered many debates. The delegation of the Venice Commission closely followed these aspects and also the way political decisions influenced legal actions.
To be able to formulate an opinion, which will be included in a report next month, the delegation of the Venice Commission has also met with the members of the Constitutional Court. The Court president, Augustin Zegrean, has said that judges were asked to make a comparison between the 2007 suspension of Romania’s president and this year’s suspension. The European Commission for Democracy through Law, also known as the Venice Commission, is the advisory body of the Council of Europe on constitutional matters.
The commission members, appointed by the EU member states, act on their behalf and do not have a national or party mandate. The Venice commission delegation’s visit to Bucharest occurs against the backdrop of the need for clarifications on the legality of the July 29th referendum. To this end, judicial bodies have started the prosecution of many people, including leaders of the parties that make up the parliamentary majority.
