Lower Chamber Deputy Chairman: President’s Reasons For Rejecting Cabinet Proposals Are Not Legal

Iordache argues that the president must specifically point to the reasons for which the proposals were not in contradiction with legal regulations, as he stated, and that any other refusal reasons outside of legality are not constitutional.

“The arguments are illegal and unconstitutional. The Constitutional Court said that there should be mandatory illegality issues (when the president refuses to appoint ministers, ed.). If he invokes matters of illegality in his first refusal, the reason regarding the expertise does not have anything to do with that,” the social-democrat MP and former justice minister told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Thursday his reasons for rejecting the last four cabinet appointment proposals made by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila within the last couple of months.

In a statement, the president explained his reasons for rejecting the nominations of Ilan Laufer, Mircea Draghici and Lia Olguta Vasilescu – the latter twice – for the offices of transports or regional development minister.

The head of state cited legal issues as his reason for rejecting three of the four nominations. According to the statement, the proposals for Laufer and Vasilescu as regional development minister, as well as Draghici for the transports office violated the incompatibility criteria set for cabinet members in the Romanian Constitution.

The provision invoked by the president states that the office of Government member is incompatible with the exertion of any other public authority function – excepting that of MP or senator – or any other type of salaried job in commercial organizations. The statement did not specifically mention how the provision was violated.

For the proposal of Lia Olguta Vasilescu as transports minister, the president considered that the former labor minister “does not have the necessary expertize to handle the complex field of transports”.

Iohannis announced on January 4 that he will reject proposals made by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila for new transports and development ministers, continuing the month-long uncertainty regarding the offices.