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| The Opposition Threatens to Suspend the President |
| (2011-11-17) |
| Last updated: 2011-11-18 13:23 EET |
The Social Liberal Union, the main opposition coalition, has again threatened to start impeachment procedures against president Traian Basescu. The main reason for this is Basescu’s recent statement on the public radio station regarding the possibility of raising pensions and salaries in the public sector, as of next year.
Without saying whether he would shunt or not the opposition’s request not to sign into law the bill freezing pensions and salaries in 2012, Traian Basescu has firmly stated that there are no funds allowing for pay-rises and that reality is here to stay, irrespective of the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
Traian Basescu: “It depends on the ruling of the Constitutional Court. What I can say however is that there’s no money, irrespective of the ruling. Salaries and pensions would increase if there were any money available”.
The opposition has again referred the draft law freezing pensions and salaries in the public sector to the Constitutional Court, considering Basescu’s statement a breach of the Constitution. Opposition members have suggested the head of state was deliberately refusing to enact another draft law that would provide for an annual increase of salaries and pensions, even if the Constitutional Court would rule in favour of its enactment.
Shortly after threatening to suspend the president, the Social Liberal Union got their legal experts to dig for any signs of unconstitutionality in the president’s recent statements. Impeachment proceedings can only be launched against president Basescu should such signs be discovered. Some voices however have argued the opposition has gone too far in their reaction, since in the end we are dealing with a statement that remains of debatable relevance pending the ratification of the draft law.
The president violates the Constitution only if he chooses to ignore the ruling of the Constitutional Court or to urge the executive not to observe a ruling that would declare the draft law unconstitutional. On the other hand, even if the opposition might find the legal grounds to push the impeachment procedure through, it would however run into an apparently insuperable political deadlock.
Opposition leaders have themselves admitted they do not hold and are unable to gather the parliamentary majority required to suspend president Basescu. The situation however is exactly the opposite as compared to 2007, when the same parties managed to suspend the president, but the ensuing impeachment referendum prescribed the vote. Faced with low popularity rates, Traian Basescu cannot at present rely on a referendum. At any rate, the odds of a referendum are minimal, since the Social Liberal opposition lacks the necessary MP seats to suspend the president.
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