President Iohannis: Ordinance on amnesty and pardoning would unleash unprecedented political crisis

President Klaus Iohannis declared on Thursday that an ordinance regarding amnesty and pardoning would be “a catastrophe for Romania” and it would unleash an unprecedented political crisis. “Such an ordinance, regarding the amnesty and pardoning of some politicians, would be a catastrophe for Romania, in the end. (…) Adopting such an ordinance would unleash an unprecedented political crisis in Romania,” said Iohannis, at Cotroceni Presidential Palace. He reminded that the pardoning and amnesty were already the topic or an emergency ordinance at the beginning of 2017 and that this normative act brought about ample manifestations from the Romanian people, who do not want this. “Ordinance no. 13 was withdrawn at the time, but there are still signals that within PSD [Social Democratic Party, major at rule, ed.n.] this idea has not been abandoned, but rather some PSD politicians circulate these ideas in the public space,” Klaus Iohannis declared. The president made an appeal to the Social-Democrat politicians who are “lucid to undertake anything they deem fit so that such an ordinance be out of question and not be approved in Government.” “For now, we have nothing else but some politicians’s statements, but I remain connected and I will do everything that can be done as president so this situation doesn’t occur again,” the president pointed out. Klaus Iohannis specified that he expects to be informed by the Government if such a matter were to be discussed. Asked about the situation of people who were convicted based on the evidence obtained from the protocols of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and the judicial institutions, Iohannis replied: “These matters are of the competence of the courts and they will certainly be resolved there.”   President Iohannis about appointments of ministers: No ultimatum from PSD; my analysis, after December 1   President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) may be referred to the Constitutional Court in the case concerning the appointment of the new ministers, that the Social Democrats cannot give him any ultimatum and that he will analyze these proposals after December 1. “I think that they are under some political pressure and they ramble. PSD cannot give me any ultimatum. I said that after the December 1 celebrations I will analyze these issues and we will talk more then. (…) In my opinion, constitutionally, I have the right to do exactly what I am doing. I am a president that respects the Constitution to the letter. Rest assured that what I do is constitutional,” Iohannis said. Asked if he is thinking of not taking note of the resignations of Paul Stanescu and Lucian Sova in the upcomimg period, he replied: “In the next period I will tell you how I am going to deal with the matter, but not today.”   Iohannis, about ‘Unirii’ Motorway: It is sad law needed for Gov’t to take concrete steps   President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday, in reference to the construction of the “Unirii” Motorway, which will connect the municipalities of Iasi and Targu Mures, that a law was needed for the governments to take concrete steps. He specified that this is not the legislator’s aim, and “the achievement of such objectives should not have expected the intervention of Parliament”. According to the president, this should have been done by the Government.

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