The Chamber of Deputies plenary has adopted on Wednesday the draft bill amending the Criminal Code by 167 votes in favour, 97 against and 19 abstentions. The vote result was welcomed with applause from the PSD-ALDE majority. 165 votes were needed for the draft bill to pass.
President Klaus Iohannis reacted in a briefing at Cotroceni Palace, describing the vote as “revolting”. The adoption of amendments to the Criminal Code was imposed by PSD and ALDE, he said, arguing that “what is happening these days is called the dictatorship of the majority.”
“About the content of the amended Criminal Code, I will have a longer presentation when I challenge this normative act to the Constitutional Court. You should know that the Code of Criminal Procedure is in being prepared to be challenged to the CCR. The amendments that have been made are, to a great extent, either useless or even toxic or harmful and I intend to use all the constitutional instruments to challenge the Criminal and the Criminal Procedure Code,” President Klaus Iohannis said.
He also said that “it is simply inadmissible” the way PSD has transformed parliamentary procedures.
“What is happening these days is called the dictatorship of the majority. It is profoundly damaging to democracy. First of all, the Parliament must pay due attention. The PSD passed the Criminal Code through Parliament, a simulacrum of debate in the Chamber of Deputies, and this is profoundly harmful. The PSD has succeeded in a short period of time to destroy the dignity of the act of legislating,” President Iohannis said.
In retort, PSD chairman Liviu Dragnea said that the President’s announcement to notify the CCR over the Criminal Code is no surprise to him,a arguing Klaus Iohannis would have “blocked” other important laws as well.
“President Iohannis has abusively used all instruments and attributions that he has by the Constitution to also block other laws related to the governance or to the ruling economic programme: The Sovereign Investment Fund, the aid for the farmers, the salary law, just to accomplish their desire that has nothing to do with democracy, to find the tools to topple down this Government,” the PSD leader said.
9 Deputies representing the national minorities and 1 PMP MP voted for the code along with PSD and ALDE
Nine Deputies of the national minorities and one of the PMP (People’s Movement Party) have supported PSD and ALDE in having the needed majority in favour of the draft bill amending the Criminal Code, hotnews.ro reports.
The national minorities Deputies are Adnagi Slavoliub, Csokany Petronela-Mihael, Furic Iarco, Ibram Iusein, Ignat Miron, Popescu Mariana Venera Stoica, Bogdan Alin, Daniel Vasile, Silviu Vexler, the same source informs.
Adrian Mocanu (PMP) voted in favour. “I voted because I believe this is the way to vote,” Mocanu said.
Shortly after the vote, PMP leader, Eugen Tomac, announced during the Chamber of Deputies plenary sitting that Deputy Adrian Mocanu has been excluded from the party.
Opposition claims Romania is no longer a state of rule of law
“As of today Romania is no longer a state of rule of law, it is a state for Dragnea,” said USR leader Dan Barna.
“You consider this is not a crime, it is a deed you take pride with. We will use all the levers because we are on the right side of history,” added USR MP Ion Stelian.
PNL has already announced that it will challenge the amendments to the Constitutional Court.
“Look here and you will see that the true governing programme was the Criminal Code. All the assurances that you gave to the Romanians during the election campaign, the foreign partners were just to simulate the goodwill. Today you have shown the behaviour of a criminal group. Those who now lead the PSD have turned everyone in the ruling majority into a toxic majority for the Romanians. Sadly, the PSD-ALDE works against the Romanians, against their own people. There is an acute sense of despair because you have put down the European future of Romania. PNL will appeal to the CCR this vote, will use all the levers to thwart your plans,” Turcan said.
Dan Suciu, PSD group leader in the Chamber of Deputies, attacked the USR MPs, saying they had turned the plenary into video-chat and talk about the regulation “when they eat from Parliament’s garbage cans.”
PNL to refer the code to the Constitutional Court
PNL has already announced that it will challenge the amendments to the Constitutional Court.
“Look here and you will see that the true governing programme was the Criminal Code. All the assurances that you gave to the Romanians during the election campaign, the foreign partners were just to simulate the goodwill. Today you have shown the behaviour of a criminal group. Those who now lead the PSD have turned everyone in the ruling majority into a toxic majority for the Romanians. Sadly, the PSD-ALDE works against the Romanians, against their own people. There is an acute sense of despair because you have put down the European future of Romania. PNL will appeal to the CCR this vote, will use all the levers to thwart your plans,” Turcan said.
The report was adopted on Tuesday afternoon by the MPs with the Special Parliamentary Committee for the laws of justice, with 12 votes in favour, 7 against and 2 abstentions after the Senate approved the amendments to the Criminal Code. The committee retained the form adopted by the Senate, the amendments being of a technical nature. The committee has accepted an amendment by the ALDE according to which a criminal in order to find the offense of embezzlement a complaint against the civil servant is mandatory.
The draft amendment to the Criminal Code, initiated by the PSD and ALDE MPs, was adopted on Tuesday by the Senate plenary session as the first notified chamber.
The Senate adopted the draft law amending the Criminal Code on Tuesday, by 74 votes to 28 and 9 abstentions.