Romanian Government Resigns, Early Elections on the Way

08/07/2005

The Romanian government has announced its resignation, paving the way for further changes in the country's political landscape.

By Razvan Amariei for Southeast European Times in Bucharest – 08/07/05

Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said on Thursday (7 July) that his cabinet will resign and early elections will be called. [AFP]

Six months after taking office, Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu has announced the resignation of his coalition government. Speaking to reporters Thursday (7 July), he said the cabinet would step down after its 14 July meeting, paving the way for early parliamentary elections, with 2 October as the most likely date for the poll.

Officially, the reason for the move was the Constitutional Court's rejection of judicial reform laws that the government views as crucial for Romania's entry into the EU. "Justice reform is now blocked and the solution is to go back to voters again ... and to wait for their verdict," Tariceanu said, charging that the court is dominated by the former ruling party, the Social Democrats (PSD), and is out to protect its privileges even at the expense of Romania's EU future.

The head of the Democratic Party (PD), one of the two parties forming the ruling Justice and Truth Alliance (DA), also had harsh words for the court. "By this rejection, accession is compromised, as well as reform of the justice system. We were elected to do reforms and we want to see if people still want this to happen," said Emil Boc.

Parliament can overturn the court's decisions by a two-thirds majority, but the ruling coalition is unable to summon that many votes. Most political analysts believe the main factor behind the decision to call an early poll is the desire of the PD and the National Liberal Party (PNL) -- the two parties forming the DA Alliance -- to strengthen their slim majority by increasing their number of seats in the two chambers of parliament.

The DA Alliance got about 30 per cent of the vote in the November 2004 parliamentary elections, while the PSD won 37 per cent. But then-PD leader Traian Basescu's victory in the presidential poll led to the creation of a centre-right coalition consisting of the two DA members plus two smaller parties -- the ethnic Hungarian UDMR, and the Conservative Party (PC), formerly known as the Humanist Party, which had previously backed the PSD.

The decision by the two main coalition members has thrown the junior coalition partners into limbo, especially since recent polls suggest they might not pass the five per cent electoral threshold. "I believe it's a foolish act," said UDMR top member Gyorgy Frunda in a radio statement following Tariceanu's announcement. PC spokesman Bogdan Ciuca said his party, which changed its name and ideological orientation after entering the coalition, would "discuss the new situation in the next days".

Sources inside the PSD say it will invite both of the smaller parties to join it in the next political battle.

Some commentators believe Basescu is the driving force behind the government's resignation. He has been pushing for early elections since shortly after the cabinet took office.

The PSD is portraying the early elections as a ploy by Basescu to "conquer all the power in the state," as party chief Mircea Geoana put it. "It is, meanwhile, sure that Romania won't accede to the EU in 2007 due to this decision," he warned.

But Jonathan Scheele, chief of the European Commission delegation in Romania, has indicated otherwise. "The Tariceanu cabinet's resignation wouldn't have an impact on the accession process if the interim government will be able to comply with the assumed engagements," he told Radio Mix FM.

Under the constitution, calling early elections is not a simple procedure. The president must first dissolve parliament, and that can only happen if both legislative chambers reject the prime minister twice in a row. According to some observers, it is not out of the question that opposition MPs might actually vote in favour of the current cabinet, to fend off the elections, which could result in further PSD losses. MPs from the smaller coalition parties might also back the government, to keep their jobs.