The Opposition on Strike

The Social Liberal opposition coalition has practically blocked Parliament through their unprecedented gesture.

They decided to no longer attend the Permanent Bureau, committees and joint sessions, and will only participate in making major decisions, such as early elections, censure motions or impeaching the president.

The Social Liberals claim to have opted for this radical protest in order to protest against what they call the ‘abusive use of votes of confidence’ by the ruling coalition, in order to pass legislation.

The opposition claims that the ruling coalition used this procedure in order to suppress parliamentary debate on issues of national interest.

The opposition also mentioned the artificial creation of the present majority, by establishing the National Union for the Progress of Romania as a parliament group, a party made up from politicians who migrated from the Social Democrats and National Liberals.

Former Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that three years of democratic failures, corruption and attempts to destabilize state institutions called for a warning.

He hopes that his gesture will draw the attention of the ruling coalition, a bring about a shift in attitude:

"Faced with the extreme stance that we are adopting today, this parliamentary strike, let the majority have a serious moment of reflection, draw all the necessary conclusions, and adopt an attitude that would be normal and natural in a democracy".

Harsh criticism against the opposition

The ruling coalition reacted with harsh criticism against the opposition, which they dubbed irresponsible, calling on them to resume the seats in Parliament to which they were elected.

Beyond the bellicose rhetoric that accompanied the opening of this session of Parliament, this protest threatens to disrupt the legislative process for the ruling coalition – especially committees in which the ruling coalition is in the minority.

However, Senate Speaker Vasile Blaga said that committee reviews are not essential for a law to be passed.

However, this issue may cause great problems for the ruling coalition.

A number of senators from the Social Liberal coalition have resigned, changing the balance of power in parliament and weakening the majority, which means that every single coalition minister and senator has to attend every Parliament session.

The leader of the Liberal Democratic group in Parliament, Cristian Radulescu, said:

"At any cost, we will ensure that Parliament has continuity. At certain pre-established moments, all senators, and even ministers, will have to be present to vote"

This strike in Parliament comes against the backdrop of serious social tensions, and seems to be intended to bolster the protests against the president and his government, which started approximately 3 weeks ago.