Independents’ parliamentary group: constitutional

The Constitutional Court decided by majority vote that the alterations to the regulations of the Chamber of Deputies regarding the setting up of the independents’ parliamentary group and the replacement of the Standing Bureau members were constitutional.

On Wednesday, the Court examined the two referrals made by the Democratic Social Party (PSD) and the Liberal National Party (PNL), which challenged two decisions of the Chamber of Deputies that altered and supplemented the regulations of this Chamber.

Following the deliberations, the Court’s judges agreed that those alterations did not violate the provisions of the Constitution, an irrevocable and generally compulsory decision that would be later communicated to the Chamber of Deputies.

On November 15th, the Chamber of Deputies adopted the two decisions that allowed the independent deputies to set up their own parliamentary group.

The alteration of the regulations allows independent deputies to occupy a position in the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies.

The referral made by the Liberal National Party (PNL) regarding the regulations of the Chamber of Deputies

The parliamentary group of the PNL in the Chamber of Deputies seized the Constitutional Court for the two decisions that had been adopted by this legislative forum and altered the regulations.

By adopting those particular decisions, the majority, namely the Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR altered the regulations of the Chamber of Deputies by establishing a group of parliamentary independents with the same rights as the the parliamentary groups of the parties which had participated in the elections, the PNL leader stated.

Translated by: Raluca Mizdrea and Gabriela Lungu
MA Students, MTTLC, Bucharest University