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Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Ludovic Orban said on Wednesday that he will not vote on a motion of censure against the prime minister and no liberal MP will, emphasising that as national chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) he defends the government.
He said he would propose to the party's Executive Bureau that PNL MPs be present at the sitting of Parliament where the motion of censure will be debated, but abstain from vote, Agerpres informs.
Asked to comment on the fact that the PNL lawmakers who participate in the plenary sitting to consider the motion of censure will be expelled, he said: "no one is allowed to threaten the PNL lawmakers."
Also asked if a PNL MP could be penalised if attending the plenary sitting, he replied: "I have never heard of such a thing, to make a political decision that is contrary to the Constitution, to the Rules of Parliament."
On Wednesday, at the end of a meeting of the National Political Bureau (PNB) of PNL, Prime Minister Florin Citu said that the PNL lawmakers should not take steps to overthrow their own government and should not participate in the plenary sitting debating the motion tabled by Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (USR PLUS) alliance before the signatures affixed to the motion are audited.
He added that the PNL BPN took several decisions at Wednesday's meeting in accordance with the powers bestowed on it by the PNL statutes.
Asked what will happen to Orban, who convened the joint plenary sitting, Citu replied that the situation will be looked into. "Let us see first if he violated the statutes by calling this sitting - if it is an illegal summoning running against the statutes and PNL - and then there will be penalties," he said.
Calling on all political leaders to settle government crisis
Orban called on Wednesday on all political leaders to settle the government crisis, underscoring that for him there is no other solution than maintaining the National Liberal Party (PNL) as the major party at rule.
"From my point of view, there is only one honorable political solution for Romania and, obviously, for PNL: restoring the governing coalition that was formed after the parliamentary election, which generated a parliamentary majority, a governing program, which lives up to the Romanians' challenges and expectations, maintaining the PNL as the major party at rule responsible for the implementation of this governing program," Orban declared at the House of Parliament.
"During the election campaign we promised four years of peace, of stability, four years during which we are to focus on Romania's development, on putting into practice all the reforms Romania needs. (...) We must return to what we promised the Romanians. Today, the Romanians look at us in bewilderment as to what has sparked this political and governmental crisis, and why the problems they face are not solved as they expect," Orban said.
According to him, the current crisis affects Romanians, impinges on the capacity of state institutions to handle the challenges facing Romania and also raises serious questions about the external perception of what is happening in Romania.
Parliament Chairs' constitutional obligation is to summon plenum
The Speaker announced on Wednesday that it is the constitutional obligation of the Chairs of the two Houses to summon the Parliament plenum, mentioning that he will summon the Standing Bureau in order to establish this plenum session's agenda.
"Today I made the decision to summon the plenum of the joint Houses along with the Senate president. I would like to make a few clarifications, so that I am very well understood: the summon made by the Chairs of the two Houses does not contain the agenda, it is not in accordance with the regulation for Chairs, when they summon the plenum of the reunited Chambers, to establish the agenda. For establishing the day's business agenda, we will summon the joint Standing Bureau, which, in accordance with provisions of Article 15 from the regulation of joint sessions, they have this attribute of establishing the business agenda. It is a constitutional obligation of the Chairs of the two Chambers to summon the plenum in order to allow for the Constitution to be respected," Orban said.
He said that constitutional provisions and provisions of the regulation of the two Houses "are very clear" regarding procedures along with submitting the vote of no confidence.
"Once summoned, the session takes place. (...) the plenum is sovereign," he added, mentioning that the plenum has the capacity of voting the agenda of the day.
