Romanian Liberals Support Integrity Agency Law But Won’t Attend Talks With President

The Liberal leader said that his party expects a balanced attitude from the country’s president, but instead has only seen partisanship in Basescu’s action. According to Antonescu, throughout the past six years, Basescu has violated the mediator prerogative granted to him by the Romanian Constitution. As a result, the Liberal Party will no longer act as a „decorative element” in Basescu’s actions.

Until the president’s attitude changes, liberals will only attend emergency meetings, regarding potential major foreign policy issues, government crises, or the dissolution of Parliament.

The liberal leader added that his party supports thorough investigations of public officials’ fortunes and conflicts of interests. Party representatives in Parliament will demand that the process of amending the integrity agency law be sped up.

Antonescu said that Parliament must assume responsibility for amending the law in accordance with the Constitutional Court ruling. The legal framework should be issued within 45 days, so that the agency can resume it activity.

Romanian President Traian Basescu meets Monday at 5 p.m. with parliamentary party representatives for talks on the Constitutional Court ruling which has stripped the country’s integrity agency of its main attributes. The Court stated that the integrity agency’s law is unconstitutional, as it breaches the right to privacy and does not apply the presumption of innocence to those investigated.