Political Priorities for Romania

Romanias president Klaus Iohannis on Monday held his first speech in Parliament since he took office last year.

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Roxana Vasile, 10.02.2015, 13:20

The transformation and accountability of state institutions are key to the progress of a nation, Klaus Iohannis said upon addressing Parliament for the first time since the beginning of his term in office. The timing was by no means random, given that Parliament resumed sitting on Monday. The priorities of the new legislative session include the election law, simplifying procedures for lifting the immunity of MPs and the law on personal insolvency. The president wants a fair relationship with Parliament, based on partnership, dialogue and mutual respect. Conflicting relations between state institutions will do little to ensure the progress of a nation. Conversely, it is only by working closer together that they might be able to serve citizens’ interests, the president also said, hinting at the tense relationship his predecessor Traian Basescu had with state bodies. Three months after he had won the presidential election, Klaus Iohannis urged Parliament to focus on reforms. The president denounced populist attitudes and decisions for purely political gains, pointing to the recent run-ins MPs have had with the law in recent years.

“I’m saying this as bluntly as possible: I want a strong Parliament, firm in terms of integrity, fair in its relationship with the judiciary, accountable in its decisions, vigilant in its surveillance, transparent in its behaviour. Such a Parliament will certainly be seen in a different light by our country’s citizens”.

President Iohannis also called on MPs to observe the timetable agreed upon in the latest consultations held at his initiative and to vote a new package of laws on local and parliamentary elections, the vote in the Diaspora, the financing of parties and election campaigns as well as the law on political parties. Iohannis also urged MPs to reflect on the consequences of party list or uninominal voting systems, or on reducing the number of MPs in order to have a more efficient Parliament. Parliament should increase its legislating capacity, while the number of emergency ordinances passed by the Government should be reduced to exceptional cases.

“Romania’s Parliament is faced with the opportunity to meet certain expectations, to start yielding clear-cut results and to regain people’s confidence”.

High expectations might lead to good results, the president added, recalling however that in the long run the institutions’ performance has a direct impact on citizens’ everyday life.