Senate President Mircea Abrudean stated on Monday that matters regarding the appointment of a new Ombudsman must be clarified, noting that it will not reach a situation where there is a lack of coordination at the coalition level in the reunited plenary of Parliament and that from the PNL perspective there is no problem regarding the USR proposal for this position, according to Agerpres.
"It's a coalition discussion. These things need to be clarified. There was a previous agreement, I understand. I suspect that an agreement will be reached and we won't end up in a situation where there is a lack of coordination in the reunited plenary, at least at the coalition level, especially since it is an important subject. It is a very important position for Romania, which was discussed, managed, agreed upon at the level of the parliamentary majority. So, I believe that it will be clarified by tomorrow and we will know what the finality is," said Abrudean, asked about the emergence of a deadlock in the coalition, after PSD did not accept USR's proposal for the position of Ombudsman.
If the PSD asks the USR to change the proposal, Abrudean said that the USR must be asked.
"I know that there was a calendar there, with deadlines by which some candidacies had to be submitted, some committee hearings are coming up, so it's a bit complicated, that would mean that tomorrow, practically, the subject could no longer be discussed on the agenda of the reunited plenum, as it was approved in the Permanent Bureaus," the Senate President also said.
Asked if the Social Democrats have the right to demand a change to the proposal, he replied: "Everyone has the right to demand what they want, after all in politics we see that everyone demands, everyone declares, everyone speaks, what is important is what is decided in the end and what is important is the vote in Parliament."
"So, I once again make the difference between many political statements and public appearances with a certain bias and what is ultimately determined by the vote. I believe the same will happen in this case," added the Senate President.
Asked if the PNL agrees with this proposal, Mircea Abrudean stated that he has not seen any problems so far.
"I don't think there were any problems here and, if it meets the conditions, passes the hearings, comes to the plenary and there will be a vote. (...) I, personally, don't know the case well enough to be able to comment, but I haven't seen any problems, from our perspective, up until now," the Senate President mentioned.
On Monday, PSD chairman Sorin Grindeanu declared that the Social Democrats will not support the USR proposal for People's Advocate if the nominee benefits from a special pension. He stated that he does not agree with the name that has been circulating recently for the position.
USR Senator Ştefan Pălărie declared that USR requests the appointment of a new Ombudsman in Parliament this week, noting that the current head of the institution, Renate Weber, has not only accumulated "black balls", but has also reached the "two-year mark beyond the expiration of her mandate".
USR proposed Roxana Rizoiu, a human rights expert, for the position of People's Advocate.
The joint plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate meets on March 10, at 1:00 p.m., to vote for a new People's Advocate, several members of the leadership of the National Council for Combating Discrimination, and an advisor to the Court of Accounts, according to a decision of the joint permanent bureaus.
Renate Weber's 5-year mandate as Ombudsman expired in June 2024. The legal committees have scheduled the hearings of the candidates in this case for Tuesday, at 9:00 AM.
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