Talks on starting the procedure to suspend president Klaus Iohannis will continue in the party and in the ruling coalition, Liviu Dragnea, the head of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), said on Monday, July 9.

The ruling alliance made up of PSD and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) was expected to make a decision on Monday on whether or not they suspend president Iohannis. The main reason for suspension was the fact that the president postponed taking a decision on revoking the head of the National Anticorruption Department (DNA), as requested by the Contitutional Court (CCR). However, Iohannis decided on Monday to dismiss the DNA head, and thus the ruling coalition postponed taking a decision on the suspension of the president.

However, Liviu Dragnea said PSD and the ruling alliance would continue the talks on starting the procedure to suspend the president.

“Iohannis revoked her after 30 days (e.n. from the CCR decision). I don’t think he did it for the sake of complying with the Constitution but because of pressures generated by personal calculations, but the talks about the suspension were not only generated by this violation of the Constitution but by a series of constitutional deviations of the president. The fact that he made it a habit to block and delay almost any law of the Parliament and any government initiative […] Talks on suspension will continue in the party and will also be discussed in the coalition,” Dragnea said, quoted by local News.ro.

“It’s a very important discussion that we have to take very seriously because it is a very serious approach, it’s not a game, but unfortunately the president has been failing to respect the Constitution for a long time now, he fails to respect his duties, he no longer has the power to be a president over the parties, a president without party interests, a president to mediate between the powers of the state, and this leads to a lot of blockages,” Liviu Dragnea added.

The Social Democrat leader also said that the revocation of the chief prosecutor of DNA is not a victory for anyone.

Justice minister Tudorel Toader requested the dismissal of DNA head Laura Codruta Kovesi in February this year, invoking 20 intolerable acts and facts related to her activity as head of this important institution. President refused at first to sign the decree revoking Kovesi but Toader reffered the situation to the Constitutional Court, invoking a constitutional conflict between the Presidency and the Government. The Court ruled that the president has to sign the decree to revoke Kovesi and, 30 days after the Court’s decision, Iohannis dismissed the anticorruption head.

Romanian Senate president supports ruling coalition’s plan to suspend president Iohannis

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com