After failing to alter the law for local elections two weeks ago, the now-fallen Romanian government managed to adopt 25 decrees in a single meeting, the night before it faced a vote of no-confidence in the Parliament. One of these midnight decrees drastically shortens the admissible time for calling snap elections, putting in jeopardy the organisation of fair and democratic elections because of the short notice period.
The PES President of the PES, Sergei Stanishev said:
“The conservatives in Romania should acknowledge the fact that there is a new majority in the Parliament and should stop trying to stay in power through last minute rule changes. The Romanian parliament yesterday clearly withdrew its confidence in Ludovic Orban’s government. The country now needs a new government, that can prepare the upcoming elections in a transparent and democratic way without the risk of any emergency decisions. PSD Romania and its allies are the only ones capable of delivering a stable and strong government to carry out this important task.”
The PES calls on the conservatives in Romania to respect democratic principles. Making last-minute changes to election rules, without debate or any attempts to seek a broad consensus, is a clear violation of the recommendations of the Venice Commission.
