The Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu, also a president of the PNL (National Liberal Party), voted yesterday in the election of MEPs, but not in the referendum on the uninominal vote system. He explained: "I voted thinking about what counts for Romania most right now: to send the best representatives to the Parliament of Europe so that they can protect our interests. As for the referendum, I did what was to be done: I proposed a uninominal vote law to the Parliament and the government took responsibility for it. The parliament passed the law and we have now got a law. It seemed to me useless to vote in the referendum." He added he did his PM's duty to make preparations for the referendum to take place under normal circumstances, as well as his duty as a politician, by promoting the law at stake. The PNL officials decided not to vote in yesterday's referendum, party sources informed. All the party officials took the PM's indifference as example and they attend the referendum. The PNL vice president Teodor Atanasiu described the referendum as "President Traian Basescu's whim". The general secretary of Romanian Liberals commented in his turn: "I am not voting in the referendum for it has not been honest." (...) (R.G.)