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President Klaus Iohannis has presided over the government sitting at Victoria Palace. The media speculated lately that the government intends to adopt on Wednesday an emergency ordinance regarding amnesty and pardon. The government agenda is not public, atypical for the latest period, digi.24.ro informs.
“We are having an ordinary government sitting. I salute the presence of Mr. Klaus Iohannis who, according to the constitution, is presiding the government sitting,” PM Sorin Grindeanu said in the beginning.
The Premier said the agenda includes issues related to the budget.
President Klaus Iohannis said in turn “there are two elephants in the room: pardon and the amendment of the criminal codes.”
President Iohannis added he has agreed with PM Grindeanu that such issues will not be added to the government sitting agenda and that they will not be added over night before the coming sittings.
“You know the story about an elephant in a room, yet he is not seen. Here are two elephants, the ordinance regarding pardon and the ordinance to amend the criminal codes. Obviously I discussed about them with the PM this morning. He told me that he had talks with some government colleagues and these issues will not be added to the agenda today,” Klaus Iohannis said, according to the same source.
The journalists were asked twice by the government employees to leave the room, however they were twice turned back by President Iohannis, who wanted his messages to be heard publicly.
“I stress and I hope I have the consent of Mr. Prime Minister, he has undertaken that these issues will not be added overnight before any government sitting. Immediately after the documents are clear, the Justice Minister, Interior Minister and the delegate Minister for European Affairs will obviously make them transparent. More clearly, to be handed for consultation to all entities, according to the law: CSM, professional organisations, judicial organisations and to the public opinion,” The head of state mentioned.
Before the government sitting the President, the PM and the Justice Minister have had a brief discussion.
Sources quoted by hotnews.ro say President Iohannis decided to attend the government sitting without being invited by the Prime Minister. Iohannis allegedly has notified Pm Grindeanu at 9.30h, just ten minutes before arriving at the government, the same sources say.
Quoting governmental sources, hotnews.ro informed that the government was ready to adopt on Wednesday an emergency ordinance to amend the criminal laws, it was not clear how deep the changes would go. Sources said some sentences would have been pardoned, whereas the government would have wanted to amend the legal framework in regard to abuse of office, negligence in office, conflicts of interest and the denunciator’s institution.
PM Grindeanu: The mentioned projects were not on the agenda
“It was an ordinary sitting. The issues of pardon and amending the criminal codes were not on the government sitting agenda, with or without President Iohannis. We have adopted important bills in order to hasten the budget law. (…) During the past days I’ve had talks with the finance minister and the vice-premier as we want to submit the budget law to parliament by January 25. We will keep to the targets of 3% budget deficit and the level of budget for defence,” PM Grindeanu said after the government sitting on Wednesday.
The Premier stressed the mentioned emergency ordinances on pardon and on amending the criminal code were not on the agenda on Wednesday. “Does the Constitution provide we are allowed to issue ordinances on amnesty and pardon? Does it read that we can do this? Yes. So, they are not violating the law,” Grindeanu said. “It is as constitutional as the president’s presence to the government sittings. We observe the law by issuing ordinances,” he said, adding that the issues were not on the sitting’s agenda, with or without the president attending the event.
Justice Minister: The emergency ordinances were completed on Tuesday
Justice Minister Florin Iordache said the two emergency ordinances were completed on Tuesday and have been sent for consultations to the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM). “They were sent to all interested institutions. When we get the notifications, we will discuss them in the government. As of today you will see them on public debate,” Iordache said.
He added Romania needs a pardon bill and that eventually some 2,000 to 2,500 people will be released from prisons.
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