Liberals and Social Democrats unite in attempt to prevent procedure on referendum

Romanian MPs belonging to the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Hungarian Democrats (UDMR) managed on Wednesday to slow down procedures that would allow a referendum called by President Traian Basescu on changing the Constitution to take place. PNL and PSD also submitted a request to temporarily suspend House speaker Roberta Anastase, a member of the party supporting Basescu.

President Basescu announced last month he would push for a referendum to change the Constitution and form a single-chamber parliament in place of the current two-chamber one. The push was followed by political wrangling that saw the PSD break away from a government alliance with Basescu’s main supporting party, the Democratic Liberals (PDL).

The Parliament leadership decided on Wednesday to send Basescu’s request for a referendum to the joint judicial commissions for a point of view in this regard and set a deadline of 10 days for the commissions to come up with a result. The decision, supported by PSD, PNL and UDMR, slows down the procedure due to lead to an approval of the requested referendum.

Also today, PNL and PSD submitted a request to suspend Roberta Anastase, a PDL member, as House speaker, accusing her of „abusive behaviour” following a suspension of a session on Tuesday.

Democratic-Liberal PM Emil Boc said later on Wednesday that „today we have witnessed in the Parliament to the formation of a PSD-PNL coalition” aimed at preventing a pensions law from being introduced. The law, pushed by the government, would see parliamentarians’ pensions reduced.