AUR calls for early elections and announces that it will propose an amendment to the Constitution so that government formation crises cannot be prolonged for months. Among the proposed changes are the automatic dissolution of Parliament if it fails to invest in a government within 60 days, as well as the introduction of a deadline for the president to appoint a candidate for the position of prime minister.
The party unanimously adopted on Sunday, in the National Leadership Council, the resolution „Early Elections! Romania Needs a Fresh Start,” stating that the current parliamentary configuration can no longer produce a stable majority. AUR says it will not support a government it is not part of or that does not include the party’s solutions in its program.
AUR puts pressure on Nicușor Dan
The party accuses President Nicușor Dan of avoiding a new prime minister designation to avoid the rejection of a second government, a situation that could lead to early elections.
AUR argues that the current political deadlock overlaps with economic problems and that, in the absence of a stable parliamentary majority, the solution should be a return to the polls.
The party goes further and warns that if the head of state were to prevent early elections, it could consider suspending him and organizing a referendum for dismissal.
Parliament automatically dissolved after 60 days
Meanwhile, AUR announces that it will promote a Constitutional revision project to introduce clear deadlines during government crisis periods.
One of the proposals involves setting a maximum deadline for the president to be obliged to appoint a candidate for the position of prime minister. If the deadline is not met, AUR proposes that the president's mandate should automatically cease.
A second amendment would concern Parliament. It would be automatically dissolved if, within 60 days from the first investiture request and after the rejection of at least two government proposals, it has not given a vote of confidence to an Executive.
How easy can the Constitution be changed
AUR's proposals cannot become reality through a simple law amendment. For this to happen, the Constitution must be revised, and the procedure requires broad majorities in Parliament and, ultimately, a referendum, according to the Romanian Constitution - Articles 150 and 151.
First and foremost, AUR must have enough parliamentarians to initiate the revision. The Constitution states that such an initiative can come from the president, at the Government's proposal, from at least a quarter of the deputies or senators, or from at least 500,000 citizens with voting rights.
The revision project or proposal must then be approved by at least two-thirds of the members of each Chamber. If the deputies and senators do not reach an agreement through the mediation procedure, the decision can be made in a joint session, but the votes of at least three-quarters of the total number of parliamentarians are required.
Not even such a vote is enough. The revision becomes final only after approval through a referendum, which must be organized within 30 days of adopting the revision project or proposal.
There are also limits to what can be changed. Article 152 of the Constitution establishes, among other things, that the national, independent, unitary, and indivisible character of the state, the republican form of government, the territorial integrity, the independence of the judiciary, political pluralism, and the official language cannot be revised. Additionally, a revision cannot result in the suppression of fundamental rights and freedoms or their guarantees.
The Constitutional Court also has a mandatory role in this process. The Constitutional Court checks ex officio the revision initiative, including compliance with the conditions and limits set by the Constitution. After adoption by Parliament, the Court exercises ex officio a new control over the revision law, before it reaches the referendum, a mechanism explained in Decision no. 539/2018 of the Constitutional Court.
What AUR would concretely change
One of the party's proposals starts from a rule already existing in the Constitution but changes an essential element.
Currently, Article 89 of the Constitution provides that, after consulting the Presidents of the two Chambers and the leaders of the parliamentary groups, the President may dissolve Parliament if it has not given a vote of confidence for the formation of the Government within 60 days of the first request and only after the rejection of at least two investiture requests.
Therefore, meeting these conditions does not automatically lead to the dissolution of Parliament. The Constitution currently gives the President this possibility, but it does not obligate him to use it.
AUR proposes that, in the same situation, Parliament be dissolved by law. In other words, after meeting the provided conditions, dissolution would no longer depend on the President's decision.
The second proposed change would concern the head of state. AUR wants to introduce a maximum deadline for the President to be obliged to appoint a candidate for the position of prime minister. The party proposes that if the deadline is exceeded, the President's mandate should automatically cease.
For now, AUR has announced its intention to promote these changes without specifying in Sunday's statement the specific deadline it would like to introduce for the prime minister's designation.
Why AUR says the Constitution needs to be changed
AUR argues that the current crisis has shown a vulnerability in the Constitution, as Romania has gone 117 days without a fully empowered government. The party says that the fundamental rules should be modified so that neither the President nor Parliament can indefinitely prolong a political deadlock.
AUR also calls for a new majority resulting directly from the vote, a government supported by a stable political majority, and a change in economic policy, arguing that the current negotiations between parties can no longer produce a viable governance formula.
G.P.