President, PM agree on snap elections

By Alina Grigoras Last updated Jan 10, 2020

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PM Ludovic Orban has announced on Friday after an one-hour meeting with President Klaus Iohannis that they had decided to start procedures to organise snap elections. “I say it clearly, Romania’s President and me decided that it’s best for Romania to kick off early elections”, PM Orban.

The premier explained that a working group had been set up to manage the negotiations with the parties to secure support to start the procedure of these elections.

PM Orban argued that Romanians don’t want to be led by PSD anymore, which is acting like a brake in Parliament and that the only solution is to hold early elections as closely as possible to the local elections that should be held in May-June.

Asked if he is resigning to start the procedure to trigger snap elections, Ludovic Orban denied answering.

“My will and PNL’s will is 100% for early elections,” he said, adding: “There two solutions to start this procedure, depending on the events we’ll opt for one of the two. I would rather not tackle tactical discussions right now”.

The procedure for early elections

Parliamentary early elections can be triggered upon the initiative of the Romanian President, based on article 89 of the Romanian Constitution.

The president can thus dissolve the parliament if it has not given the confidence vote for the government within 60 days since the first request and only after the rejection of at least two investiture requests.

The President’s decision to trigger early elections is preceded by consultations with the Parliament speakers and with the leaders of the parliamentary groups.

During one year, the Parliament can be dissolved just once and not in the first 6 months of the Romanian President and not during emergency, war or siege situations.

The acting government must resign or be dismissed through censure motion.

USR hails decision, PSD slams it

PSD interm chairman, Marcel Ciolacu, has slammed PM Orban’s announcement, saying he doesn’t endorse early elections, arguing that such an action “would throw Romania into a superficial political crisis”.

“Why force some early elections when we have elections this year on time? For we think we are better ranking in the polls? It is a democratic abuse”, Ciolacu stated.

On the other hand, USR chair Dan Barna has hailed the announcement on snap elections. “The sooner, the better”, he said.

“We need a reformist parliament”, he added, reminding he has warned since mid-last year that “a reformist majority is impossible within the current parliamentary configuration”.

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