The speaker of the Romanian House of Deputies said on Tuesday that he proposed PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu to postpone elections for the European Parliament, due to take place in May this year, because the electoral campaign would overlap with possible procedures to suspend the head of state and with a possible motion against the Government.
Following cross-party consultations it was decided that the first round of EP elections in Romania, after the country joined the European Union on January 1 this year, take place on May 13.
But according to House speaker Bogdan Olteanu, a member of Tariceanu’s National Liberal Party, the date should be revisited because it would mean the electoral campaign would coincide to a tense political battle currently taking place in Bucharest.
After Tariceanu and President Traian Basescu declared open war to each other with a series of serious accusations of traffic of influence, the opposition decided to pursue moves to suspend the head of state. The moves include a referendum, and a draft legislation for the change of the referendum law was passed by the Judicial Commission with support from Tariceanu’s Liberals on Monday.
EU rules say the first elections for the European Parliament must be organized before the end of 2007. The May 13 date was agreed in principle and is due to be set for good once the law for the organization of the poll is published in the Official Gazette.
HotNews.ro, Jan 30, 2007
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