The head of Romania's opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu announced that a joint sitting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the vote on the budget revision bill would take place next Wednesday - September 23.

He stressed that the draft handed to MPs for the final vote, amended by the expert committees, implies a 40% rise of the pension as of September - as opposed to the 14% rise proposed by the Government, Revista22.ro reported.

Technically, the Social Democrats eliminated the text in the budget revision bill that replaces the 40% rise included in the Pension Law with a softer 14% increase.

The PSD leader added that the party would use all the legal means to challenge the Government's decision by which money is allocated on political grounds to local administrative units headed by Liberals.

Ciolacu also said that the Senate would discuss on Monday [September 21] the bill on granting EUR 500 COVID-19 bonuses to school teachers, and the Chamber of Deputies would vote the law one day later.

The Social Democrats' initiatives, which would further strain public finances, come ahead of two election rounds: local elections on September 27 and parliamentary elections on December 6.

(Photo: Marcel Ciolacu Facebook Page)

andrei@romania-insider.com