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President Iohannis: the principle of integrity should be set forth in the Constitution
President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday said that he is not afraid of being suspended. "I haven't been and am not afraid of being suspended. There is no reason for suspension. Slowly, but surely this thing must be eliminated from the public discussion," the head of state added at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, after the annual meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Bucharest.
Asked about his arguments for accepting Viorica Dancila for the premier position, he specified that the parliamentary majority recommended her.
"I talked about these matters at the time of the appointment and I said back then, and perhaps some thought I said it out of complacency, I weighed all the arguments and I reached the conclusion that it is the alternative that I must accept," President Iohannis said, adding that before greenlighting Viorica Dancila, he had a meeting with her, as it would have been strange to make a nomination without knowing the person.
He affirmed that he is expecting Dancila to be a guarantor of the independence of Justice and of the strengthening of the rule of law.
Replying to a question as to the possibility that the future governing lineup might include persons subject to criminal investigation, President Klaus Iohannis said that there is no place for such persons at the helm of the state.
"Currently these are just informal talks, I believe I will be officially informed about the persons proposed for taking office, but you already know my opinion, specifically that there is no place at the helm of the state for people currently under investigation, or who are about to be prosecuted, or who have already been handed down a criminal conviction," said the President after the annual meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Bucharest.
Asked if he also let Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea know his position during the recent consultations at the Cotroceni Palace, the President replied that his opinion is perfectly known and that the principle of integrity should be set forth in the Constitution.
"My position is very well known. Regrettably this [principle] is not yet stated in the Constitution, but I think we all need to join efforts to improve this situation. This is also why, when I attended the meeting of the Superior Council of the Magistracy, I suggested that if we already are about to discuss the Constitution and how to better it, it it my belief that the principle of integrity must be enshrined in the Constitution itself," Iohannis said.
He pointed out that he would have a quite difficult time working with a government that includes legally embattled ministers.
"For the time being, the President has only few levers at hand. Therefore, for this approach I want the principle of integrity to be enshrined in the Constitution, for this discussion to no longer arise in another circumstance. I hope that we will smoothly overcome this stage," added the head of the state.
Asked whether he intends to talk with the Premier-designate before the formation of the Cabinet, Iohannis replied: "We shall see." "When I spoke to Mrs. [PM-designate] Dancila, I focused on the person, because this is what it was about, not the government, we are next to see what team the PSD will be fielding," Iohannis said.
Premier-designate Viorica Dancila said on Tuesday when asked whether she will accept legally embattled ministers in the future government that in her capacity as MEP she has voted for a European directive that provides for the presumption of innocence until a final judgment is handed down.
"I cannot answer this question, I cannot know who is and who isn't criminally tainted, but just consider that I am a MEP and I voted for a European directive that said the presumption of innocence applies until the final conviction and that justice is being served by the judge. This is what I know as a MEP. Now I cannot say: legally embattled or not. We will see what the Executive Committee proposes," said Viorica Dancila.
Asked whether she will have a say in the formation of the government, she replied: "We will see what the Executive Committee decides, but of course we will also hold talks."