Romanian President Pleads For Single Chamber Parliament

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Wednesday that he would opt for a single chamber Parliament and would lift immunity for lawmakers whose actions are punishable under the Criminal Code.

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During the presentation of the report drawn up by the presidential commission for the analysis of the political and constitutional regime, Basescu said Romania’s two chambers of parliament are similar from the point of view of representation and are elected at the same time, and in the same way.

"In my opinion, we can opt for a single chamber system, eliminating one of the two Chambers,” Basescu said, adding Romania already has “one chamber: the European Parliament".

According to the head of state, the European Parliament is enough to guarantee a good representation of Romanians’ general interests and to stop any abuse of power in the country.

Basescu said that if Romanians decide to keep the two chamber system, one of the two chambers, namely the Senate, should represent “the interests of local communities".

The president also referred to the issue of immunity for lawmakers, saying much abuse has been recorded in this sector over the past years. Basescu said the immunity issue needs to be reconsidered and eliminated for deeds that fall under the Criminal Code.

Basescu also said he would be in favor of Romania’s current administrative organization, which includes 41 counties and capital Bucharest, to reach “nine to twelve regions or counties".

Basescu also highlighted the need to coherently reassess voting processes, as Romania currently has five different types of voting for mayors, heads of county councils, local councils and Parliament, and each type has specifics that lead to unwanted effects.

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