Romanian Opp Liberals To Challenge Pension Bill At Constitutional Court

Liberal deputy Eugen Nicolaescu said the contestation of the pension bill concerns procedure issues.

Opposition social democrat leader Victor Ponta said last week that his party was looking at ways to challenge the IMF-required pension law at the Constitutional Court. Social democrats said the vote on the pension bill was rigged and the party filed criminal complaints against Chamber of Deputies Speaker Roberta Anastase and lawmaker Sever Voinescu on Tuesday. People close to the matter told MEDIAFAX social democrats accuse Anastase of abuse of office and forgery and Voinescu of fraud, because he was the meeting secretary when the bill was put to the vote.

The Chamber of Deputies Tuesday rejected the Standing Bureau’s proposition to put the pension bill to the vote again.

Last week, the Chamber enacted the bill with 170 votes in favor, two against and three abstentions, after ten hours of debates and in the absence of lawmakers from opposition parties (Social Democratic, Liberal and Conservative), who had walked out.