Parliament starts sitting to read out PSD motion of censure

Parliament has started a joint meeting of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies for the presentation of a motion of censure tabled by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) against the Orban Cabinet began, in the presence of Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and several members of the government.

Attending are 173 MPs and senators out of a total of 465 lawmakers, according to Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu.

The motion is read out by PSD Senator Lucian Romascanu.

In the "PNL Government - from pandemic to generalised bribery," motion of censure initiated by PSD and signed by 205 senators and MPs the Social Democrats claim that government officials have violated all rules imposed on the public following the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The document dedicates a chapter to "PNL parties in the time of the pandemic", in which it shows that "members of the government have irretrievably lost their credibility for the way they have managed the pandemic."

It also has a chapter on "contradictory restrictions imposed on Romanian citizens". According to the Social Democrats, "another major cause of the Orban 2 government's loss of control over the pandemic was the endless series of contradictory decisions and measures."

PSD also mentions what they call the "plundering of the national budget under the guise of the pandemic," drawing attention to arecent report of the Court of Auditors on public expenditure during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

Last but not least, the Social Democrats claim that "the living standards of Romanians have collapsed" and "the people have lost everything they gained under the PSD government." According to the signatories of the motion, "The PNL government has brought back austerity, poverty and the vicious circle of low wages."