Resignation "in time" in exchange for constitutional revision

The president Traian Băsescu has sent Friday a letter to the opposition leaders in which he expresses his diponibility to resign if these will accept the Constitution revision as it was requested through the referendum in November 2009, it is shown within a notification posted on the presidential institution website.

Traian Băsescu has also requested the head of state’s mandate decreasing at 4 years, so that the legislative election could take place this year simultaneously with the presidential election.

“Consistently to idea of respecting the electorate vote and Constitution principles, I permit myself to remind you that through the referendum in November 2009, the electorate has voted for the unicameral parliament and maximum 300 members of parliament”.

“This subject with appropriate propositions I have also opened within the consultations that took place at Cotroceni Palace on November 6”.

“Unfortunately, my proposition regarding the Constitution revision in order to implement the result from the referendum has remained until nowadays without any official answer from your party”, has specified the head of state in the letter addressed to the presidents of the Democratic-Social Party (PSD), Liberal-National Party (PNL) and Conservator Party (PC).

Traian Băsescu asks to the opposition leaders – Victor Ponta, Crin Antonescu and Daniel Constantin –to subject to the Extraordinary Congress of the parties they lead many proposals having as objective the Romanians vote respecting.

In the context, the head of state requests to the Social-Liberal Union (USL) leaders that the opposition participate at the revision process of the Constitution, in order to agree it with the referendum result from November 2009: unicameral parliament and the reducing number of parliamentarians at 300.

The revision should include also the president of Romania mandate decreasing at 4 years, so that the parliamentarian and presidential election take place simultaneously and the works for adopting the revision law of the Constitution should take place so that it is subjected to the referendum during local election in June –these were the propositions transmitted by the head of state to the opposition leaders.

“If you accept the Constitution revision as it was requested through the referendum in 2009, but also my proposition to decrease the president’s mandate at 4 years, I guarantee you that I will resign “on time” from the president of Romania function, so that the legislative election from November 2012 take place simultaneously with the presidential election.”

“I consider that such an approach is appropriate to give to political men the opportunity to respect the constitutional inscribed from the article 2 of Romania’s Constitution which specifies the exercising right of Romanian people’s national suzerainty through the referendum.”

“In the same time, I appreciate the fact that the returning of a 4 year mandate for the president of Romania is necessary in the perspective of fully democracy consolidation”, has stated Traian Băsescu.

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University