All USR lawmakers resigned from Parliament not to benefit of special pensions

By Alina Grigoras Last updated Nov 24, 2020

USR lawmakers have decided on Tuesday to resign from Parliament in order not to benefit from special pensions. USR chairman Dan Barna stated that the resignations will come into effect on the last day of mandate of the current legislature.

“We decided to assume that we’ll not benefit of special pensions, but it is a condition to join the future ruling. It is a very clear message“, said Barna.

The USR leader has asked for the Parliament to convene in emergency procedure and to set a joint plenary session in order to repeal the articles in the lawmakers’ statute through which MPs benefit from special pensions

Barna explained that his party fellows will file their resignations from the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies today, and the members who are absent for medical reasons will file resignations when they will be able to do it.

According to the provisions in force, MPs who give up their seats in Parliament before the official end of the term, are not entitled anymore to benefit of special pensions.

Special pensions have been a controversial topic and have been harshly criticizes by the Romanian public opinion, on the ground that are setting an undeserved privilege for the lawmakers on the labour market.

USR, the newest political party represented in the Romanian Parliament (they obtained the first mandates in 2016 when USR has also been established as a political party) tabled a draft law in 2017 to repeal special pensions, but the bill never succeeded to enter the parliament procedure and to be put to vote.

On the other hand, the Liberals have rushed now to take credit for the initiative, initiating their own draft law to repeal special pensions for MPs. The leader of the PNL deputies, Florin Roman, has announced Tuesday morning that had asked for the Standing Bureaus to be convened to adopt the bill.

“PNL will not accept this privilege for MPs, the ones of special pensions, as PNL is a constant supporter of pensions paid based on the contributions,” said Roman.

He said that this draft law had been tabled in Parliament by PNL early this year, but it “had been blocked” by PSD and its chairman Marcel Ciolacu in the Standing Bureau.

On the other hand, PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu has also filed his resignation from the MP position, but Liberals said his resignation is “a big bluff”, as it is not equal to losing the special pension.

“This is a bluff, similar to the situation from 2016 when Ciolacu and Dragnea filed their resignations from Parliament, but the resignations had not been concluded, but the Statute, by a vote in the plenary session, but only through a memorandum in the Standing Bureau. This memorandum is nit enough to conclude the parliamentary procedure of resignation”, Roman explained.

PNL-USR row in today’s plenary session

After the resignations of the USR MPs, electoral attacks kicked off in today’s plenary session. Liberal Florin Roman has asked the plenary session to take note of the USR lawmakers’ resignations and to vote for their mandates’ becoming vacant. In retort, USR chairman Dan Barna underlined that the resignation requests are coming into effect as of December 18, accusing Liberals they want to take USR out of Parliament.

Florin Roman has insisted that, if seats are not becoming vacant today, USR deputies must withdraw their resignations and file them again on December 18.

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