The Romanian political scene faces a new dilemma: Will President Klaus Iohannis run for the Senate? For that, he would need the support of the PSD (Social Democratic Party).
Yesterday, official information came from Cotroceni that Iohannis „will complete his term and does not intend to resign from the position of president”. However, this does not necessarily mean that he will not run for parliamentary elections. Former president Ion Iliescu did it 20 years ago.
How? Through a legislative loophole that should be urgently adopted by Parliament and even promulgated by Iohannis himself.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu spoke on Wednesday for the first time about the possibility of changing the law so that President Iohannis can run for parliamentary elections without resigning.
"We have not discussed Iohannis' candidacy for a senatorial position because, I presume, President Iohannis does not want to run on the PSD lists. Nor does PSD (want Iohannis to run on its lists - ed.)", stated Marcel Ciolacu, as quoted by News.ro.
Asked about the same topic, the head of state just laughed and replied: "Thank you!"
Parliamentary sources have told Antena3 that the plan is for PNL to introduce an amendment to Law 208/2015 regarding the election of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, to allow Klaus Iohannis to run in the parliamentary elections, even while still in office.
This amendment will be an addition to art. 52. "The President of Romania, in office at the time of the election of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, if in the last 3 months of the mandate, can run as an independent on the lists of a political party, a political alliance, or an electoral alliance to obtain a mandate as a deputy or senator. In case of being elected as a deputy or senator, the President of Romania is obliged, after validation, to choose between the status of deputy or senator and that of president."
The issue is that the deadline for submitting the lists of candidates for the parliamentary elections is October 17, so the law must be approved quickly and is an organic law. Therefore, an absolute majority of votes is needed to pass through Parliament (50%+1 of the total number of parliamentarians). Without the PSD votes, this cannot be achieved.
If it passes through Parliament, Iohannis will have to promulgate the law that will allow his own candidacy.
Klaus Iohannis, Marcel Ciolacu, and Nicolae Ciucă were all present on Wednesday morning at the same event "Responsibility. Relevance. Resilience in a world of challenges" dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the establishment of the Romanian Court of Accounts. Iohannis and Ciolacu visibly ignored each other, leaving a seat empty between them in the Ateneu lodge. And Ciolacu and Ciucă have been at odds for several months now, ever since they both decided to run for the presidential elections.