Court partially sustains opposition objections over amendments Chamber of Deputies Regulations

Autor: Mihai Cistelican
Publicat: 24-10-2018 16:16

The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) partially sustained on Wednesday the constitutionality objections filed by the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR) over amendments to the Chamber of Deputies Regulations, CCR officials told AGERPRES.

They mentioned that the court sustained the objection over the penalty to be applied to unruly MPs. 

On September 13, USR announced that it was filing challenge with CCR regarding the new Chamber's regulation that provides for penalties for unruly MPs, including temporary suspension of their participation in some or all of the activities of the chamber for a period between the two and thirty working days. 

According to USR, the change in the regulation proposed by MP Eugen Nicolicea of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), major at rule, "violates the Constitution of Romania and represents a regress" in a democratic state. 

USR's explanatory statement shows that the text on which the penalty was imposed contravenes the provisions of Article 1 (3) and (5), Article 2 (1), Article 61 (1), sentence I, Article 69 (1) and Article 70 of the Constitution, "which configures the parliamentary mandate in accordance with the requirements of the rule of law." 

USR mentions that, according to the constitution, the MPs have the right to submit motions, sign motions, and legislative initiatives and conduct activity in committees. It argues that it is "absurd to curtail the rights and activity of USR lawmakers", as this creates a "dangerous precedent". 

The amendments to the Chamber of Deputies Regulations were challenged with CCR by the National Liberal Party (PNL) as well.

Agerpres