USR PLUS calls on Constitutional Court to debate referral on censure motion sooner

Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Alliance (USR PLUS) sent to the President of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), Valer Dorneanu, an official request to change the deadline set for the debate of the referral on the censure motion, "so that a decision is made more quickly."

"I have asked the Constitutional Court to judge with urgency the complaint of unconstitutionality formulated by the Romanian Government. Article 113 of the Constitution stipulates very clearly that the motion must be debated and voted after 3 days from its reading. I consider that the deadline of September 28 is too far off and the legal instrument of the censure motion is thus emptied of content. For this reason, we requested this date be brought forward for one as soon as possible," Senate President Anca Dragu said, according to a press release of USR PLUS.

USR PLUS MP Oana Murariu, in her turn, points out that "any day of delay deepens" the current political deadlock.

"We have requested the change of the court term set (...) on 28.09.2021, at the maximum limit provided by law, for a time as early as possible, especially taking into account the constitutional term of 3 days from the date of reading the motion in Parliament, when it should have been voted on. In case the request is rejected, the Court will be obliged to come up with a solid explanation, its workload not being a sufficient reason in a situation of political crisis and paralysis of a democratic instrument," states Oana Murariu.

USR PLUS adds that 11 days after the reading of the censure motion, "parliamentarians are still prevented from voting" on the demarche to remove Prime Minister Florin Citu.

"Parliamentary handshakes block a constitutional right of senators and deputies only to keep the current prime minister until in office until after the PNL Congress. We call on the Constitutional Court not to get involved in this attack on democracy and to return to the deadline for debating the referral on the censure motion," reads the release.

The letter addressed to the President of the CCR invokes the Decisions of the Court no. 69/2020, according to which "the debate and the vote of the censure motion cannot take place at any time, as (...) it attracts the illusory character of the legal instrument and, finally, the lack of efficiency, insofar as the passing of time affects its actuality".

Prime Minister Florin Citu submitted to the Constitutional Court a referral regarding the existence of a legal conflict of a constitutional nature between Parliament and the Government in which he invokes an "unconstitutional conduct, both unfair and abusive, towards the executive authority", because the motion was initiated, filed and communicated in "violation of the constitutional provisions of Article 113 (2) of the Constitution". AGERPRES