Romanian Opp Lawmakers Protest Against Lower Chamber Speaker, Leave Plenary Meeting

Liberal vice-president Eugen Nicolaescu said liberals protest against ruling democrat liberals' decision to support Anastase in the position of Chamber of Deputies speaker.

"As long as Chamber meetings are presided over by Roberta Anastase, the Liberal Party will attend neither plenary meetings nor standing bureau meetings," said Nicolaescu.

Social democrat lawmakers also left the meeting citing the same reason as liberals.

In late September, the Chamber of Deputies hold debates on the country's IMF-required pension bill and opposition lawmakers said the vote on the bill was rigged. Social democrats filed a criminal complaint against Anastase, accusing her of abuse of office and forgery.

Social democrat leader Victor Ponta said at the time that video footage of the meeting showed there were no more than 80 lawmakers in the room and the required quorum to pass the bill was not met.

The pension bill has not yet been enforced, as the head of state decided to send it back to Parliament for reexamination. The Senate's committee for legal matters decided that more articles of the pension bill will be reexamined, besides the article indicated by the president.

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