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Former deputy PM and Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea has announced on Friday, on his Facebook page, he will resign from Senate next week.
“I am not hiding behind any kind of immunity and, just like the Gigina family, I want the truth to be revealed after the accident. I understand that there are divergent opinions regarding the possibilities for re-voting. Consequently, in order to remove all doubts, I announce that I am going to resign from the Romanian Senate. The procedure, according to the regulation, will be carried out next week,” Oprea wrote in the message.
President Iohannis: Oprea has the opportunity to resign to defuse the tension
President Klaus Iohannis has said on Friday he does not know if there is the possibility to conduct re-voting in the Senate in Gabriel Oprea’s case, but the solution to ease the tension is his resignation.
“The current situation of Mr. Oprea cannot be easily alleviated. I do not know if re-voting in the Senate is possible, but there’s always the possibility that the person concerned resigns to defuse the situation,” Iohannis said.
The president criticized the Senate for repeatedly rejecting the DNA requests: “I am very sad that the Senate, after many discussions, has not understood what it is about, the senators voted following party orders, there are senators with an open anti-justice speech, it is outrageous.”
“Parliament should not vote on guilt or innocence of a member, this is established only in court,” Iohannis said.
The Head of State urged the citizens to vote in elections for parties with no criminally investigated politicians on their lists, saying it’s their responsibility to change them.
Iohannis expressed concerned about the protests on Thursday night, showing “the people are rightly outraged that the lawmakers protect someone by vote,” Iohannis said, adding that there are too many people with judicial issues in Parliament.
Senate deputy Speaker claims re-voting in Oprea case is impossible
Senate deputy Speaker, legal committee member social-democrat Ioan Chelaru, said on Thursday that, no matter who requests it, the re-voting in Gabriel Oprea’s case is not possible, the only solution being Oprea’s resignation.
“According to the Constitution, to the law on ministerial responsibility and to the Senate regulation, there is no reason and no provision to lead to a re-voting a final, confirmed decision – a negative decision, it is true – as the Constitutional Court demanded in Sova’s case – published by the Official Gazette. From my point of view the topic is closed,” Chelaru said.
“No matter who requests it, a party, a senator, the person involved, there cannot be a re-voting. Mr. Oprea is the only one to make a decision. Resignation should not be overlooked,” he added.
The Liberals informed on Thursday that they would ask the Parliament to conduct re-voting in the prosecution case against ex-Interior minister Gabriel Oprea. The Liberals also called on Social-Democrat chair Liviu Dragnea to agree to the proceeding resuming.
PSD chair Liviu Dragnea said that Social-Democrats would not block the re-voting in Gabriel Oprea’s case and that “PSD will not hesitate if it comes to this”.
PNL co-chair Alina Gorghiu claims re-voting is legal
PNL co-chair Alina Gorgiu has said on Friday that there is no legal regulation to ban re-voting in parliament.
“I believe re-voting is needed and possible on Monday in the Senate in Oprea’s case, otherwise the majority (PSD-ALDE) may discredit the Senate’s credibility. It is a myth it can’t be done legally. (…) In Mr. Oprea’s case there’s nothing to obstruct re-voting, only the political will of the cartel made up by PSD-ALDE,” Gorghiu said for RFI.
She added that judge Cristi Danilet has explained publicly there’s no impediment in re-voting, the solution being allowed by the ministerial responsibility law.
Street protests in Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi, Constanta
A protest organised via Facebook took place on Thursday evening in front of the Parliament. 4,000 people protested against the vote in Gabriel Oprea’s case and against the senate, for the vote to save Oprea from prosecution in policeman Bogdan Gigina’s death file.
Other protests took place in Cluj, Iasi and Constanta.
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