The Liberals are not giving up their bid to modify the electoral law in order for mayors to be elected in two rounds. After Premier Dacian Ciolos refused to adopt an ordinance on this issue, PNL insists that the project should be debated in Parliament.
“We are asking all political parties to accept the introduction, on the Senate plenum’s order of the day, of the draft law on introducing the two-round mayoral election system. And, subsequently, if PSD wants, it can turn to the Constitutional Court which would point out whether this law can or cannot be implemented starting with this year’s local elections,” PNL Senator Octavian Motoc stated.
The draft law initiated by PNL, on electing mayors in two rounds, can obtain the support of a majority of Senators, PNL Co-President Vasile Blaga stated, emphasising that he saw “possible openness” on UNPR’s part.
“I have seen possible openness on UNPR’s part from this point of view and I believe a majority in favour of this law could be created in the Senate,” Vasile Blaga stated.
PNL First Vice President Catalin Predoiu considers that the decision taken by Premier Dacian Ciolos on Monday, following his consultations with the leaders of the parliamentary parties, is “a missed opportunity for democracy.” In this context, Predoiu stated that “PNL has no other option but to try forming an “ad-hoc” majority in order to remove another negative effect of the infamous PSD Government.”
“A missed opportunity for democracy. It is superficial to settle the one-round or two-round election topic based on PSD’s will, without taking into account the still-active effects of Ordinance 55 – the “theft of mayors” ordinance – and the abuse of power that PSD, led by Liviu Dragnea and Victor Ponta, made when recruiting mayors under the threat of stopping the financing of mayoralties. The political scene was substantially, illegitimately, abusively unbalanced by that ordinance adopted by Ponta in 2014, condemned by PNL and Klaus Iohannis in the presidential campaign and still in force today because PNL does not have a majority with which to repeal it.
In the presence of “volatile” majorities that cannot fix the abuse committed by PSD, the only legitimate and technical formula for rebalancing the democratic vote would have been an ordinance on reinstating a two-round election system. A missed opportunity not so much for PNL, to which Premier Ciolos indeed owes nothing, but for democracy. Too bad! PNL has no other option but to try forming an “ad-hoc” majority in order to remove another negative effect of the infamous PSD Government, which left Victoria Palace but is still in being through the effects of its actions,” Catalin Predoiu wrote on Facebook.
Dacian Ciolos: I ask those who are blaming the Gov’t to put into practice what they ask others to do
Premier Dacian Ciolos has asked those who are accusing the Government of being afraid or of lacking responsibility “to put into practice what they ask others to do.”
“I don’t want to lecture anyone. I am just asking, with respect and confidence, those who accuse the Government of being afraid or of lacking responsibility, to put into practice what they ask others to do. Change can come out of disorder too, but I believe it is sturdier when it comes from the natural order of things,” Ciolos wrote on Facebook a little over midnight on Tuesday. On Monday, he had met the representatives of parliamentary parties, consulting them on the modification of the electoral law.
The Premier added that Monday was a “difficult” day in which he tried to take “the wisest” decision.
“Today was a difficult day. I tried to take the wisest decision, starting from a certain order of things, which should lay at the basis of the change we want. An order that puts each in its place, in order to take the responsibility of the position held,” Ciolos pointed out.
After the consultations ended, Premier Dacian Ciolos announced that the Government could help the process of reverting to the two-round election system for the local elections this summer to the extent in which a decision were to be taken in Parliament.
“I noticed that the parties are not against the idea of resuming talks on the two-round local elections, however a majority would prefer the talks not to take place right now,” the Premier said. “In these conditions, also given the constitutional constraints facing the Government if it were to choose to assume responsibility or to issue an emergency ordinance, there are very high risks for this to be an action in force, without materializing in Parliament in the absence of support,” Ciolos added. “I can only note that, with all of the Government’s will, the decision remains in Parliament’s hands and it is important for the political parties to take this responsibility,” the Premier concluded.
The topic of reverting to two-round local elections has returned to the attention of political parties a few months before the elections, scheduled for June 5. While PNL is pressuring the Ciolos Government to adopt an emergency ordinance or take responsibility for the changing of the law, PSD is threatening to boycott the elections unless the one-round voting system for mayors is maintained.
