PSD reacts to the statements of President Iohannis: Serious attack on constitutional order, undermines CCR authority

The Social-Democratic Party (PSD) says the statements on Tuesday of President Klaus Iohannis regarding the Constitutional Court decision on the conflict between the head of state and the Justice Minister are a serious attack against constitutional order in Romania.

PSD claims the head of state wants to put on public debate the CCR decision, which is an aggression against this institution.

“The Constitutional Court decisions and final and binding – they are enforced, there’s no discussion! In President’s logic, any court’s decision in Romania is to be debated, instead of being enforced. CCR is the only one to set the correct reading of the constitution, nobody else, not even the President or other authority or the civil society, does not have the right to replace the CCR authority to issue verdicts regarding the Romanian Constitution,” PSD says in a release for ziare.com.

The ruling party says the President’s statements are a call to disobedience to laws and courts in Romania.

“It is inadmissible for President Iohannis to insinuate that the CCR decision would question the independence of prosecutors. No one, neither the Constitutional Court, nor the parliamentary majority, nor the Minister of Justice and no one else has ever questioned the independence of prosecutors in administering the files,” the PSD release reads.

The social-democrats claim the president’s statement that PSD or CCR would want to amputate the President’s powers, it is a means to misinform and intoxicate the public opinion.

“One cannot amputate something that does not exist. The Constitution grants no part to the President of Romania in revoking the chief prosecutors. It is thus a lie that his constitutional attributions have been cut due to PSD or by the CCR decisions,” PSD says.

The ruling party also criticize the statements regarding the parallel state. “Last but not least, PSD condemns the ironic statements of President Iohannis on the parallel state, which allegedly is only a fairy tale. The secret protocols whereby the judiciary were subordinated to the intelligence services are a reality, not a fairy tale.”

President Klaus Iohannis has taken the first stance on Tuesday on the reasoning that the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) released last week on the issue of recalling anti-graft chief prosecutor, Laura Codruta Kovesi, and also on the accusations launched during the weekend rally by Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea against the magistrates and their alleged abuses against politicians.

After meeting the representatives of the Venice Commission at Cotroceni Palace on Tuesday, the head of state argued that the CCR decision comes “precisely in line with the PSD’s stance, which is trying to amputate the President’s power,” while wondering if magistrates could still be independent and what is the role of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) if the justice minister has super-powers over them.