Senate's Dragu: Challenge submitted to CCR cannot suspend motion of censure procedure

Senate President Anca Dragu (USR PLUS - Save Romania Union, Freedom, Unity, Solidarity Party) believes that the censure motion procedure cannot be stopped by the challenge filed by the Government with the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), with the presidents of the two chambers of Parliament currently analyzing the possibility of holding a joint plenary sitting this week to debate on the motion. Regarding the convening of the joint plenum to debate and vote on the motion of censure, Dragu said: "On the one hand, this decision belongs to the joint standing bureaus, but, on the other hand, the presidents of the two chambers too can convene the plenum. We are trying now to make this call, but we need to make get sure that the motion of censure follows its constitutional path." Asked if she was already discussing the matter with Ludovic Orban, the Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber, Anca Dragu said: "Yes, we are discussing since the group leaders asked us last week to convene the plenum this week for the debate and vote." She also mentioned that the motion needs to be voted by half plus one of the total number of MPs. "Given the current formula, it will probably be difficult to meet a quorum, for we see how PNL (National Liberal Party) and PSD (Social Democratic Party) won't take part in this process," said Dragu. AGERPRES (RO - author: Livia Popescu, editor: Florin Marin, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)