Amid the population’s protests against the Government’s intention to amend criminal codes and table emergency ordinance on pardon and the ruling coalition’s firing back, President Iohannis announced on Monday evening he would start preparations to initiated a referendum on the pardon ordinance and on criminal codes’ amendment.
“This topic has unfortunately become a national one. It’s obvious there is a wide interest for this issue of Criminal Codes’ amending and of pardon and if it is, then I will submit it to the public debate and to the popular vote. I shall start preparations for a referendum through which Romanians will be able to express themselves, we’ll see if they agree with these intentions or not, for, when they cast their vote (e.n. in the general elections), these topics were not tabled in the PSD’s ruling programme and, if the rulers made a topic out if it, they will have to bear the popular vote on this matter,” President Klaus Iohannis said during an event held at the Cotroceni Palace Museum.
The Romanian President underlined that “apparently there is a debate on topics related to judiciary, on emergency ordinance on very concrete matters.”
“In fact, dear Romanians, we are talking about what kind of nation we want to be. Do we want to be a strong nation, a rule of law or do we want to be on ordinary nation, a rule of law that can be softened and argued? Do we want to be a nation resembling the generation that made the Small Union or do we want a nation that doesn’t dare raise the voice? Do we want to be a nation among other ones, like the European nations, or do we want to be a nation that doesn’t dare raise its voice in the choir of the European nations? Therefore, my dear ones, we must decide what kind of nation we are or want to be. I would like our country to be a strong nation, a nation of proud and free people. Romanians are proud and free and I would like a nation led by honest politicians, by competent politicians. Anything else is too less for me, and to obtain this thing, there is no too much high price for me,” Iohannis argued.
The head of state slammed the current politicians, comparing them with the generation of politicians from Ioan Alexandru Cuza’s time.
“Those who have been designated to run the country are taking care of other things. Back then, politicians took care of the principalities’ union, our politicians are taking care of pardon, the pardon of their own criminal case files. Cuza has been elected as ruler in Moldavia and Wallachia and got down to business. In 1864, Cuza’s Criminal Code was the first criminal code that incriminated corruption,” Iohannis further said.
He also referred to the protest and the ruling coalition’s criticism against the rallies.
“They referred to the protests as to a coup d’etat start. Politicians are the ones who make the coup d’etat, only it’s not a coup d’etar, but a death blow to the rule of law, to the Romania’s economy. PSD and its satellite, ALDE, promised welfare, economic growth, higher salaries, and people, in good faith, voted them. And they embarked on amending the justice affairs to clean up their criminal case files or their party fellows’. That brought people to the streets. Hence the Romanians’ indignation. Nobody wants a coup d’etat or to change the regime. No one should imagine that people took to the streets for this government. And rulers should bear this in mind,” the President pointed out.
Referendum procedure
According to the law, the President must consult the Parliament, which has a 20-day deadline to present a point of view on the referendum initiated by the President. In case the Parliament doesn’t respond, the President can issue the decree of organizing the referendum anyway.
According to the Law 3/2000, Romania’s president is asked only to consult the Parliament on a referendum, and he can ask the people to express its will by referendum on matters of national interest.
The Parliament is to frame a stance on the referendum through a decision adopted in the plenary sitting of the two chambers, with the vote of the majority deputies and senators attending the sitting, in 20 days since the request at the most.
The law also says that in case the Parliament doesn’t deliver a point of view, the head of state can issue the decree on organizing the referendum, as the constitutional procedure of consulting the Parliament is considered fulfilled.
Citizens are called to say YES or NO on the referendum’s topic. The referendum is valid if at least 30% of the people on the permanent electoral lists go to polls. The result of the referendum is validated if the votes represent at least 25% of those registered on the permanent electoral lists.
Dragnea: Iohannis is asking for his impeachment
PSD chairman and Chamber Speaker Liviu Dragnea retorted to the President’s announcement that he was well familiar with Klaus Iohannis’ plans to initiate a referendum on the judiciary laws, as they fit in “the logic of a man who lost elections”.
“Iohannis’ plan is that this Government to be toppled down by summer,” the SocDem leader told Romania TV, accusing the head of state of breaking his vow and of actually eyeing by attending the Government sitting to initiate a debate on pardon in order to justify later on that it is a topic of national interest.
He denied that PSD would want Iohannis’ impeachment, however he launched a warning on this topic.
“I am not interested, we are not interested in the impeachment idea. Iohannis is asking for his impeachment. I think he would want an impeachment in order to be able to have a stand to go in the country and victimize himself,” Dragnea said, adding that PSD will initiate two referendums on two topics this spring: on the family issue and on the immunities’ regime in Romania.
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