Iohannis: PSD and ALDE obstruct Justice to shield around Calin Popescu-Tariceanu

President Klaus Iohannis considers that the vote given on Monday in the Senate on the request for approval of the prosecution in the case of the Senate president is an act of "crass defiance" of the Romanians who cast their vote at the referendum, pointing out that "PSD [the Social Democratic Party, major at rule] and ALDE [the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, minor at rule] continue to obstruct Justice, shielding around Calin Popescu-Tariceanu [Senate president and ALDE leader, ed.n.] to allow him to escape criminal prosecution." 

"The PSD and ALDE continue to obstruct Justice, shielding around Calin Popescu-Tariceanu to allow him to escape criminal prosecution. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, considers that the vote given today in the Senate is an act of crass defiance of the Romanians who expressed their clear option at the May 26 referendum. Just a few days after the Romanians explicitly and harshly sanctioned the PSD-ALDE politics to put state institutions at the service of protecting politicians with criminal issues, the Senators of the majority disavow the mandate received from the citizens," reads a press release from the Presidential Administration. 

The president says that by the vote cast in the Senate, PSD-ALDE MPs "disqualify themselves in front of their own citizens and prove that they are nothing more than a shame to their country." 

"Romania has reconfirmed on 26 May its worthy course among the states with consolidated democracies, where no one is above the law. The observance of this vote is mandatory for all parliamentarians, and those who refuse it practically betray the citizens who sent them to the Romanian Parliament to represent them and not to represent the interests of politicians who must answer the law. The PSD and the ALDE have not understood anything of the vote given by the Romanians at the referendum and, through what happened today in the Senate, they have no intention to reform, but on the contrary, to continue the practice of blocking Justice," says Iohannis. 

He warns PSD-ALDE MPs that they will be harshly punished at the polls. 

The Senate rejected on Monday, in plenary, the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) request for the approval of criminal prosecution in the case of the President of the Superior Chamber of Parliament, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu. 

The vote was secret with balls, with 38 senators voting in favour of the request and 71 against.