On Tuesday, the plenum of the Senate rejected a draft law initiated by the People's Movement Party (PMP) parliamentarians that proposes the repeal of the legal provisions whereby the state subsidizes the political parties, and that the saved amounts be used for social purposes.
The leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL) parliamentary group, Senator Daniel Fenechiu, specified, during the debates on the draft law, that the Liberals will abstain from voting because they cannot vote for "populist measures".
"Romanians want honest politicians, and when we eliminate the subsidy of political parties, we do nothing but give free rein to the politics of big money and the politics of money that come to parties in ways we would like to get rid of. PNL [the National Liberal Party] does not oppose a rethink of the way to approach the subsidy, but it cannot vote for populist measures either," stated Fenechiu.
Save Romania Union (USR) Senator Mihai Gotiu, in his turn, claimed that the subsidy granted to political parties is an anti-corruption measure.
"We have an extremely sad experience with what private funding of political parties has meant. Buying eligible candidate seats has become a widespread practice at all levels and in all parties. Debts, literally and figuratively, have generated immense conditioning. Yes, subsidizing political parties is a cost, but it is a democratic cost assumed to pay an even higher cost, generated by the corruption that comes bundled with funding from private and non-transparent sources. USR cannot support this proposal and will vote accordingly," Gotiu said.
The legislative proposal for the abrogation of some legal provisions in the field of subsidizing political parties of Law no. 334/2006 on the financing of the activity of political parties and electoral campaigns was sent to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case.