Romanian Senate Chairman Geoana To Withdraw From Country’s Def Council

Geoana referred to the recent visits the head of state made in Romania’s operation theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Geoana was appointed vice-president of the country’s defense council, which is headed by the president, following a controversial government decree which is pending a ruling from the Constitutional Court.  

 

"President Traian Basescu’s electoral actions in recent days, in which he used the Romanian Army for the political purpose of promoting the Democratic Liberal Party for the European Parliament elections, are unacceptable. I will not endorse using the positive image and people’s confidence in the Romanian army for electoral and partisan purposes. That is why I have decided that, as of today, June 7, 2009, I shall withdraw from the position of vice-president and member of the Supreme Defense Council,” Geoana said in a press release.

 

The social democrat leader added he refuses to endorse, by continuing to attend the Council’s meetings, the actions in which Basescu uses the Romanian state, the Romanian army and Romanian diplomacy to obtain political benefits and advantages for the party he backs.

 

He also required the annulment of the legal provision setting that the Senate Chairman is also the vice-president of the country’s’ Supreme Defense Council. He added the partnership signed by the ruling coalition stays in effect, to serve its purpose of getting Romania through the economic crisis.

 

Romania’s Constitutional Court is expected to resume on June 17 debates on the opposition Liberal Party’s challenge against government emergency decree 224 granting the Senate chairman the statute of vice-president of the country’s High Council for Defense.

 

Romanian liberals challenged the decree on May 12, saying it was only passed to satisfy the ego of Senate chairman and social democrat leader Mircea Geoana.

 

Liberals said in their challenge that Geoana’s office as lawmaker is incompatible with that of vice-president of the country’s defense council.

 

They said that including the Senate chairman in the defense council, which is a structure under the authority of the executive power, breaches the constitutional principle of power separation in the state.