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What can and what cannot Antonescu do as interim president
As interim president, Crin Antonescu will keep a large part of the attributions of Traian Basescu among which that which allow the pardon of the former prime-minister Adrian Nastase as well as the quick change of the head prosecutor of DNA Danierl Morar and the general prosecutor Codruta Kovesi.
According to the Constitution, the vacancy of the position of president of Romania comes in case of resignation, destitution, permanent impossibility of attributions exercition or death. In three months time since the moment the vacancy appeared, the government will organise elections for a new President.
Article 98 of the fundamental law includes te conditions for taking over the interim position:"If the position of president become vacant or if the President is suspended from his position of if he is in temporary impossiblity to exercise his attributions, the interim position is ensured, in order, by the speaker of the Senate or the speaker of the Deputies' Chamber" the quoted text shows.
In exchange, the interim president - surely Crin Antonescu - cannot address the Parliament with messages regarding the main political issues of the nation, cannot dissolve the Parliament and cannot ask the people to express, through a referendum, their will about issues of national interest.
Otherwise, all the attributes will be at the disposal of the interim president.
For example, according to article 94 in the Constitution, the head of state names in political positions, according to the conditions included in the law and offers individual pardon.Moreover, the president -according to article 91 of the Constitution - has attributions in the domain of foreign policy:"(1) The president signs international treaties on behalf of Romania, negociated by the government and presents them for ratification according to the procedure established by the law.(2)The President, at the proposal of the government, offers accreditation and calls back the diplomatic representatives of Romania and approves the set up, closure or change of diplomatic missions".
For all this, the president gives decrees. The president is the one who names the magistrates.
The President of Romania presides the works of the Superior Council of Magistrates where he is present. According to article 134 in the Constitution, the Superior Council of the Magistrates proposes to the president of Romania the nomination of judges and prosecutors, with the exception of the resident ones, according to the law.
The prosecutors undertake their activity according to the principle of legality, impartiality and hierarchic control, under the authoritiy of the ministry of Justice.