Yesterday PNL (the National Liberal Party)-PD (the Democrat Party) Alliance senators were betrayed by their Coalition partner, PC (the Conservative Party, ex Humanist Party). During the Juridical Commission voting, Gavrila Vasilescu voted along with PSD (the Social-Democrat Party) and PRM ("Great Romania" Party) against holding referendum at the same time with local, general and presidential elections. Vasilescu's vote was decisive in the Commission, as at that time there were 4 PRM and PSD representatives on the one hand and 4 PNL, PD and UDMR (the Democrat Union of Hungarians in Romania) on the other. The PC senator's double play make Liberal Nicolae Vlad Popa say after the meeting on the Executive ordinance related to referendum that he would ask the PC group to replace Vasilescu from the Juridical Commission. Popa was enraged: "This can't be true! They promise us they will go for the Coalition, but they vote for PSD!" Senators in the Juridical Commission also eliminated all points in the law and ordinance on which the Romanian President could ask for popular consulting and left the President decide about referendum on any matter of national interest. PSD members tried one more move, but they failed: they tried to modify the law, that is to dismiss the President if most voters voted for it, instead of the majority having the right to vote, as the present legislation requires. Yesterday ZIUA informed you that the opposition was analyzing means to suspend President Traian Basescu. It is up to the Parliament to decide such suspension, which is to be followed by referendum. Citizens are to decide by means of vote whether the President is to be dismissed or not. Yesterday PSD tried to neat this way. Referendum separated from elections The most important change operated by the Juridical Commission yesterday is far from the one related to holding referendum along with elections. PSD senator Serban Nicolae and PRM senator Liviu Bindea amended this point, as they claimed that popular consulting should not take place at the same time with local, parliamentary and presidential elections. Nicolae said the President could make use of referendum to favor a party's political campaign. The Executive was against the idea from the very beginning, as expressed by Bogdan Olteanu. After much comment the PSD amendment passed due one single vote. PSD and PRM senators, as well as PC senator Gavrila Vasilescu, voted for it. Greater presidential power Another important point is related to the fields on which the President is allowed to ask for referendum. As compared to the points set by legislation, Tariceanu's Cabinet wanted this ordinance to include Justice reform and the fight of corruption among matters of national interest on which the President might ask for referendum. But at the initiative of PSD senators in the Juridical Commission eliminated from the law all matters of national interest. Juridical Commission president Peter Kovacs Eckstein opined that such change made "the President's power much greater". The President will no longer be constrained by law to ask for referendum only on certain matters. On the other hand, PSD senator Serban Nicolae mentioned that if there was a great number of absentees from a national referendum, it meant citizens thought the matter subject to referendum was not of national interest. President's dismissal Means to dismiss the president was another matter that made spirits hot. (...)Taricila asked for modification: the president should be dismissed if most voters voted for it. Liberal Nicolae Vlad Popa was against it and warned the opposition that it couldn't amend articles not included in the ordinance. This enraged PSD senator Antonie Iorgovan and PRM senator Doru Liviu Bindea, who claimed that nothing could set limits to the Parliament's right to lawmaking. After about half an hour dispute Taracila's amendment was rejected. In the end senators agreed to the report and passed the ordinance due to 8 favorable votes. The project on modifying the ordinance is to be debated in the Senate this week.

Roxana ANDRONIC