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The ruling coalition has lost the majority in the Chamber of Deputies
În this moment, the ruling coalition has lost the majority in the Chamber of Deputies, by one MP. Only one vote keeps the PSD-ALDE ruling coalition from having the majority needed to promote the laws debated by the lower chamber, digi24.ro reports.The lower chamber has 329 deputies. In order to be adopted, the laws need half plus one votes. Thus, 165 votes are needed in order to have a draft bill approved, whereas the ruling coalition made up by PSD and ALDE have 164 deputies.
The ruling coalition had a comfortable majority until recently. After the 2016 general elections, the two parties had no less than 174 deputies, i.e. by 9 more than the needed majority.
The balance changed following former PM Victor Ponta’s decision to leave PSD and as he convinced several colleagues to join his party, not many, however enough to shatter the ruling coalition’s majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
The new context in Parliament shows that problems might surface on votes for organic laws and decisions of the chamber’s regulations, which need a majority of half plus one.
In order to have the necessary majority, PSD and ALDE will have to find support from UDMR (Hungarian minority’s party – our note) and from the national minorities. Usually, these deputies support the ruling power, nevertheless, from time to time, negotiations prove tough in order to get their support, the same source informs.
Social-democrat Deputy, Nicolae Banicioiu, has announced on Friday he resigns from the Social-Democratic Party ( PSD – ruling party) . The former Health Minister has confirmed for Antena 3 TV he will join ‘Pro Romania’ party, led by former PM Victor Ponta and by Daniel Constantin.
“I’ve decided to join the former colleagues during the Ponta cabinet, a period during which we made a lot of good things and with which we’ve won the election in 2016. It is well known I am upset with the party leadership, with the lack of consistency and the ongoing de-professionalization. I can’t be partaker with such issues coming from Mr. Dragnea. Maybe he would destroy PSD, as several people have anticipated some time ago. The Romanian left-wing has to be represented by professionals. What is ongoing now within the PSD has no more connection with PSD. It’s a small PDL group which has taken over the power. (…) Liviu Dragnea should understand he must put an end to hypocrisy. There are many upset people,” Banicioiu said on Friday.
He added: “Now PSD is laughed about. I’ve talked to many party members. This is not the party we’ve joined and we’ve grown with. We had other expectations from PSD.”
Banicioiu’s resignation comes in the context in which several social-democrats decided to leave PSD to join the opposition, which led to reactions from PSD leaders.
PSD Chairman, Liviu Dragnea, said on Wednesday that two of the former PSD PMs have rat attitude, referring to the recent exits from the party of several MPs.
“They won’t succeed (taking people from PSD – our note), it’s a rat attitude of two former party prime ministers. As any rat, they eat a little bit, after all, the house would not fall down due to one or two rats. The majority is stable, they won’t have enough votes for a non-confidence vote. They are eager to sacrifice anything so that some laws fail to be approved,” Liviu Dragea told Antena 3 TV on Wednesday.
On Thursday, PSD Vice-chairman, Mihai Fifor, claimed that “deserters betray the citizens’ vote”, while Rovana Plumb said “no treason will prevent us from completing our governing programme.”
Former PM Victor Ponta, now ‘Pro Romania’ leader, reacted on Facebook on Thursday, claiming Dragnea plotted to get him down from the PSD helm, as he did with Mihai Tudose and Sorin Grindeanu, thus answering the accusations of ‘rat attitude’.
“Dragnea’s offenses have reminded me of Traian Basescu and of the fact that Liviu Dragnea was raised by Basescu and was sent to PSD in order to destroy it from the inside/ I am sorry such methods, people and language have been brought to PSD – the people in good faith with PSD did not deserve it. As in Basescu’s case, Dragnea’s insults reveal one thing: fear; fear of people, of imprisonment!” Ponta wrote on Facebook.
Asked if there are other colleagues who will leave PSD he answered ‘ There are many, there are many who are dissatisfied’.
Similarly, the former minister for communications in the Sorin Grindeanu government Augustin Jianu announced on Friday that he joins Victor Ponta in the project’ ProRomania', considering that PSD proves to be ‘ a party of non-professionals, mafia- type without limits’.
‘ I got into politics as I was convinced that change may be made only from the interior of the political system. I have always been against those who criticise sitting on the fence, without involvement, without contribution. Along the years I have noticed with disappointment as – PSDand in other parties – loyalty is more important than competence and ethics. I have seen how, one by one, people of quality have been sent away to make room for lip-servers. Even today we can see how illiterates who are ‘loyal’ get leading positions paid with the money of the people. We are living through sad and painful reality’ Jianu said in a post on his Facebook page.
He considers that ‘ something must be done’ as he considers that PSD is today ‘ a party of non-professionals’.
‘A PSD leader told me sometime that the party has always been accused of corruption or communism, but never of incompetence. Today, PSD proves to be a party of incompetent,mafia-like people and the couple Dragnea – Dancila is, undoubtedly, the biggest catastrophye of the recent history of Romania. At present the future is uncertain, but there is one thing we all know: something must be done. Change does not come on its own. Today I join Victor Ponta in the project 'ProRomania’, Jianu says.
The former minister of tourism Mircea Titus Dobre resigned from PSD and joined Pro Romania and on Wednesday the deputy Gabriela Podasca joined the party and one day before other two deputies Catalin Nechiforand Emilia Meirosu left as well PSD.