Senate: Opposition senators leave plenary chamber at Criminal Code ammendments debate; USR displays banner

Opposition senators from the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR) and People's Movement Party (PMP), temporarily left, on Tuesday, the Upper Chamber plenum, accusing the parliamentary majority of carrying out debates for Criminal Codes amendments without the meeting quorum. 

Moreover, the USR senators protest in the lobby and in the plenary chamber. They displayed a banner with the inscription "No Criminals". 

One of the Opposition's senators rejoined the chamber, under the reason that there isn't a quorum. If at the beginning of the sitting the quorum was ensured, with 113 signatures, upon voting the agenda fewer votes were registered. 

The deputy leaders of the PNL and USR groups, Eugen Pirvulescu and Mihaiu Gotiu, requested a recheck of the quorum, but the sitting's chairman, Adrian Tutuianu, refused to request the secretaries this, showing that the quorum is met. 

Social Democratic Party (PSD) senator Cristian Dumitrescu explained that according to the rules, the last registered quorum is taken into account during the sitting, when debating law projects, until it is checked again. 

"Mister Tutuianu does what Mister Dragnea [Deputies Chamebr Speaker, e.n.] asks of him. Have you ever heard of a plenary sitting without a quorum? It is illegal and against the rules. Despite all this, they will go to the end of the earth," Alina Gorghiu said. 

In his turn, Mario Oprea said that it is "irrelevant" what the Parliamentary majority supports. 

"The Opposition signed in the idea of proving that we are present in the building, we are not missing from this aberrant extraordinary sitting that they convened, but in order to pass what they have on the agenda they need 69 votes, regardless of the attendance they count," Mario Oprea (PNL) said. 

The Opposition has also accused the sitting's Chairman for not being assisted in presiding by two secretaries, from the Power and Opposition, the latter backing out during the sitting.