Cazanciuc takes over as new interim Senate President

Senate Vice President Robert Cazanciuc on Thursday took over from his Social Democrat colleague the Titus Corlatean the position of Senate President. According to Cazanciuc, Corlatean told a meeting of the Senate's Standing Bureau that he is resigning as president of the Senate for personal reasons, requesting that the position be taken over by one of his deputies and recommending Cazanciuc for the position. The new president of the Senate urged to dialogue among institutions, authorities and among parliamentary groups. "I will have a dialogue and collaborate with all the parliamentary groups, so that the laws sent by the Senate will make the life of all Romanians better. It is a takeover of tasks at a difficult time for the whole country and, more than ever, we need to sit at the round table regardless of what party we come from to set the priorities for the country, without passion, without pride. We have to make decisions at difficult times that will change the lives of Romanians," Cazanciuc told AGERPRES on Thursday. Corlatean announced early this February that he was appointed by the Senate leadership following the resignation of Teodor Melescanu, to exercise the duties of Senate president until the election of a new president. Melescanu resigned on February 3 after on January 22 the Constitutional Court found that his election to the Senate leadership was unconstitutional. AGERPRES (RO - author: Livia Popescu, editor: Catalin Alexandru; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)