President Iohannis Addresses Parliament

Iohannis address in Parliament was both a harsh denunciation and a call for responsibility

Ştefan Stoica, 08.02.2017, 13:49

Romania is faced with a crisis, President Klaus Iohannis said before Parliament, and the author of this crisis is the government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania. They, said the President, unexpectedly passed an emergency decree to amend the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, disregarding the recommendations of the countrys main judicial institutions. This measure triggered mass street protests, which eventually forced the Executive to repeal the decree. But according to President Klaus Iohannis, this is not enough to ease out tensions, and those who created the crisis must now solve it:

Klaus Iohannis: “Repealing Decree no. 13 and, possibly, the eventual resignation of a minister is certainly too little. Early elections would be, at this point, too much. Who must come up with a solution? Naturally, those who created the problem, the Social Democratic Party. You have won the elections, it is now time for you to govern and to make laws, but not in any way you like.

The Government, the President went on to say, must work in a transparent, predictable, and responsible manner, and Parliament must legislate to the benefit of the country, and not of a group of politicians facing criminal trials. In a surprisingly effective rhetorical twist, the President actually showed the path to be followed by the Romanian society:

Klaus Iohannis: “What kind of nation do we want to be? Do we want to be a strong, prosperous nation, one that builds and respects the rule of law, or do we choose to be a weak, despised nation, which gambles everything in order to save a few people from a difficult situation?

This is the fundamental question that all Romanians will have to answer in a referendum on the fight against corruption and on the integrity of public office holders.

The Presidents harsh criticism of the Government was hard to swallow by the MPs in the parliamentary majority, who left the assembly hall. It was equally unpleasant for the leaders of the two Parliament Chambers, the Social Democrat chief Liviu Dragnea and the head of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, who were however forced by parliamentary etiquette to listen to the entire address. Liviu Dragnea is the one who, political opponents and unbiased commentators agree, stands to gain the most out of the prospective decriminalisation regulated by the infamous emergency decree. Dragnea criticised the head of state for stepping out of his role as a mediator:

Liviu Dragnea: “I agree with the President that snap elections are not the solution, I understand his call for the Government to be a strong and high-performing institution, and in my turn I call on the President to leave the Government alone to do its job.

Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu voiced his disappointment with the Presidents speech:

Calin Popescu Tariceanu: “I was expecting the President, at such a time of tensions and crisis, to show the wisdom required of all political leaders and find a way to promote dialogue and appease tensions, because this is something above party politics.

The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union in opposition hailed the Presidents speech, which they see as meeting the expectations of millions of Romanians. In turn, the Peoples Movement Party, founded by former president Traian Basescu, pleaded for dialogue between all political parties.

Meanwhile, protests carried on in the streets of Romanian cities, both those against the Government, stronger and longer-lasting, and those against the President. And these, the Presidents address emphasised, are the proof of active citizenship and democracy.