Yesterday the head of state addressed the Constitutional Court against the latter version and Court members are to analyze the President's objections in December 5. Because of such initiative President Basescu may not promulgate the law on the uninominal vote system the government took responsibility for in October 26. The President argued that, in case of referendum failure, he would make a decision on it after the announcement on the referendum results. PM Tariceanu commented yesterday that the President's attitude was motivated by his wish to establish "velvet dictatorship" in Romania. Cristian Parvulescu, an initiator of the law promoted by the Romanian government, claims all the norms are in keeping with the Constitution. In his address to the Constitutional Court the President argues that the government's law version does not meet the straightness of the uninominal poll with citizens supposed to elect their representatives to the Parliament directly and personally, without any mediation via a representative or a delegate. According to the President, persons on the national list of electoral competitors can become MPs although not voted by electors. The President outlines: " The direct nature of the poll is the essence of modern democratic representation, with citizens expressing direct option for a certain candidate." (...) (A.H.) PM: President pursues "velvet dictatorship" According to the Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu, the President's initiative is regrettable and it shows his wish to establish "velvet dictatorship" in the country. According to the PM, this is the President's "last means" to prevent the promulgation of the law. He argued the President wanted his own law version settled, in "an attempt to make preparations for dictatorship". He argued publicly: "The electoral system proposed by President Basescu leads to dangerous, severe twists of the election results. It is an attempt to make preparations for a dictatorship by the minority over the majority, which is unacceptable." The PM argued once again that the government's project was based on systems applied in many European states and it obeyed the proportional relations between the number of ballots and the number of mandates. (...)

Anca HRIBAN, Razvan GHEORGHE