The PSD leader Adrian Nastase yesterday warned that in case Romania's President Elect Traian Basescu disregards the parliamentary majority formed around PSD and goes ahead with imposing a PNL-PD Alliance Government, his party's MPs will boycott the new Government's investiture meeting.
Traian Basescu replied saying that in his position as President he did not feel crises could be caused as long as constitutional provisions were enforced.
This display of power by the PSD (Social Democrat Party) leader is a response to the announcement made by Traian Basescu the day before, who said he would appoint Calin Popescu-Tariceanu as Prime Minister, once he was invested as head of state.
UDMR (Democrat Alliance of Hungarians in Romania) and PUR (Romanian Humanist Party) have been engaged in heated negotiations with both the PSD and the PNL (National Liberal party) - PD (Democrat Party) Alliance in the last few hours. The two organisations act as arbiters in the forming of the new government, as neither of the two political blocs can achieve parliamentary majority without the support of the two.
Nastase hinted that the investiture voting boycott by PSD would make sure there would not be enough votes to validate the new Cabinet and therefore a "crisis situation" would occur for which Traian Basescu would be the only one to blame.
"Surely, as far as the parliamentary procedure is concerned, one may argue Article 39 of the Joint parliamentary sessions regulations and debate whether it is possible to proceed to voting for such a candidate given that the parliamentary majority would not be present in the room for that vote. One may also bring up Article 146 paragraph of the Constitution, if I am not mistaken. We may engage in countless constitutional debates," Adrian Nastase stated.
Boycotting the Parliament session during which the investiture of the new Government is scheduled for voting could theoretically block the forming of the new government. Practically, if it eventually comes to this, the key resides with UDMR, PUR and the national minorities deputies. In case it is only PSD that boycotts the session, its weight is not sufficient to block the investiture of a PNL-PD Alliance Government, if it secures the vote of the other parties.
The PSD leader yesterday asked President Elect Traian Basescu to accept the parliamentary majority comprised of PSD-PUR-UDMR and the national minorities deputies. "It is abnormal, unconstitutional and frivolous to have PSD brushed aside because Traian Basescu doesn't like it," Nastase said. He accused Basescu of "putting pressure" on and "blackmailing" UDMR and PUR to form a majority around the PNL-PD Alliance.
The parliamentary majority Nastase refers to is not confirmed by the political partners.
After a private meeting with the PSD and PUR leaders, Adrian Nastase and Dan Voiculescu yesterday morning, Marko Bela, the head of UDMR said,"nothing has been decided yet."
"We have not decided on anything other than the continuation of the efforts for forming this parliamentary majority. At the moment, a possible majority is comprised of PSD, PUR, UDMR and the minority group. No other majority is shaping up, if excluding PRM (Greater Romania Party)," Marko Bela specified.
mirela.luca@zf.ro
