ALDE's Tariceanu on Government assuming responsibility: It's like a short-circuit applied to Parliament

ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats) head Calin Popescu-Tariceanu believes that when the Government assumes responsibility on a draft law it's like a "short-circuit" is being applied to Parliament, which is why the reason for such assumption should always be "very clear," while the assumption itself should be "very rare."

"Even if ALDE actually supports the topic today, namely the election of mayors in two rounds, the modality in which the Government chose to adopt this law, namely by assuming responsibility for it, we don't believe it's the best choice. When a Government assumes responsibility on a draft law it's like it applies a short-circuit to Parliament, which is the institution meant for democratic debates and for adopting and modifying laws, the only democratic institution of this country, and this approach weakens it, which is something that I regret. This practice of Government assuming responsibility for a law should be very rare and the reason for such assumption should be "very well considered," while also taking into account the previous decisions of the Constitutional Court," Tariceanu said at Parliament on Wednesday.

The Government on Wednesday, during the extraordinary joint sitting of Parliament, assumed responsibility for the draft law on the election of mayors in two rounds.

According to the Constitution, the Government is allowed to assume responsibility before the joint sitting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, on a programme, a general political statement or a draft law, with a possible motion of censure against the respective draft to be submitted within maximum 3 days since the presentation of the draft. The Government needs to step down if the motion of censure is adopted. However, if it's not dismissed, then the draft law, modified or supplemented, depending on the case, with the amendments accepted by the Government, will be considered as adopted.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has already announced it will submit a motion of censure.