Romanian Chamber Committees Endorse Lustration Law

Twenty-two deputies voted for the draft law, one against and five abstained.

Committee members decided to remove articles which referred to Romanian President Traian Basescu Traian Basescu and liberal MEP Theodor Stolojan.

The democrat liberal chairman of the Committee for Legal Matters, Daniel Buda, issued an amendment to the draft law, according to which former member of the Romanian Communist Party and its youth organization are not allowed to work in research institutions investigating totalitarianism, communist crimes, or the 1989 Romanian Revolution. This amendment will directly affect former Romanian President Traian Basescu Ion Iliescu, the current head of the Institute for Investigating the December 1989 Romanian Revolution.

The amendment bans former communists from taking up any public positions for five years. Current public officials elected into office are allowed to finish their term, while officials named into office will have their terms terminated within 90 days of passing the law.

Officials liable to be lustrated include Prime Minister Emil Boc, the alleged former president of the Communist Students' Union in the western-Romanian city of Cluj. Boc said that he never led any Communist organization and that he supports the draft law.

The votes against and the abstention came from social democrat deputies. Social democrat Florin Iordache said that his party will file an appeal with the Constitutional Court, as the draft law violates the constitutional right to elect and be elected.

Honorary social democrat president Ion Iliescu said the draft law "is nonsense" and "essentially Stalinist".

The Chamber of Deputies will start plenary debates on the draft law.

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