Premier asks President to stop political use of uninominal vote

Premier Calin Popescu-Tariceanu asked President Traian Basescu, on Tuesday, to stop using the law on single vote as an instrument in the political and electoral fight.

The Prime Minister gave, on Tuesday, a reply to the letter sent by President Basescu on Monday, asking the head of state to stop dividing Romanians into two camps: those who support the project assumed by the Government and those who are in favor of the President’s proposal. The Executive’s head said he was astonished by the President’s request, pointing out that the Government is not going to infringe the referendum law, but it will not be able to organize this poll without supplementary costs.

‘I am sure you know, as well as I know, the contents of Law No. 3/2000 on organizing and conducting a referendum. At the moment when you signed the Decree on organizing the referendum you were aware of restrictions imposed by this Law. You knew that the referendum supposes supplementary costs. Under these conditions, your letter does nothing, but amazes me. At the same time, I cannot grasp what is the meaning of your request addressed to the Government. In case you ask the Government to infringe the law, so that the public opinion will not see Romania’s President asking for a referendum which involves supplementary costs, I can tell you just now: ‘Romania’s Government does not infringe the law!’, underlined the Premier.

He added that the Executive will make every effort to reduce costs linked to this referendum.

‘If, in exchange, you ask the Government to take every necessary steps to organize this referendum at the lowest possible costs, then I already provided an answer in my yesterday’s speech in the Parliament. I instructed all the ministries and governmental agencies to fully cooperate and to observe Executive’s instructions, so that this referendum is run under the best conditions. I cannot but assure you, once again, that I, and the Government I lead, will make every possible efforts, within the law, to reduce the spending involved by this referendum’, said Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

He stressed that the big majority of Romanians pronounced in favor of the single vote system and the duty – both of the Government, and the Presidency – is to act in a coordinated way to meet citizens’ expressed wish. In this context, the Executive’s head made an appeal to the President to stop political use of the single vote as an instrument in the electoral fight.

‘Therefore, I ask you to stop using the single vote law as an instrument in the political and electoral fight. We reached a moment, when Romanians are united around the same objective: the introduction of the uninominal vote. I ask you to stop dividing the Romanians. Do not divide them into two camps, supporters of the project proposed by the civil society – assumed by the Government – and your own project’s supporters. I remind you that the project submitted by ProDemocratia and the National Liberal Party (PNL, in the ruling coalition) was initially approved by the Democratic Party (PD, in opposition) and by Traian Basescu, as well. In case you fail to agree with provisions in the project now supported by the Government, then come up with a point of view, not destroy a project which benefits of support from civil society and millions of Romanians’, the Executive’s head also said. ROMPRES