President Iohannis, quite skeptical about censure motion

President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that he is quite skeptical about the Social Democratic Party (PSD) tabling of a censure motion against the Orban Government.

"Statements are made in the heat of the moment, and everyone declares their acceptance or the other way around. To be honest, I'm quite skeptical about the statement about the motion," Iohannis said at Cotroceni Palace.

He argued that the bill on the election of mayors in two rounds of polls does not violate any rule, and it is a modification that gives more options to the voter.

"It is an argument provided precisely by those who for three years have demonstrated that they wanted to curtail democracy in Romania, as someone of PSD has said. (...) There is no change in the sense of restricting rights or opportunities. On the contrary, a return is being made to the two-round mayoral elections that used to be in place until a few years ago. It does not violate any rule," said Iohannis.

He was asked if he received assurances from Prime Minister Ludovic Orban that a censure motion would not succeed.

"I do not think that the prime minister or anyone can give assurances that it will pass or fail. It is a parliamentary step that has not been initiated. We are talking about something that is not. The only sure thing is the government assuming responsibility," said Iohannis.

He added that it would seem odd for a motion of censure against the Orban government to be voted on by the National Liberal Party (PNL), which national leader is Orban.

"They are not PSD, which took down its own government," added Iohannis.

Asked if an alternative to triggering early elections would be for Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to step down, he replied: "Certainly there are solutions for early elections. Yes, there are!."

PSD interim national chairman Marcel Ciolacu announced in Slatina on Thursday that PSD would table a motion of censure jointly with the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), after the government announced that it would pass legislation for two-round mayoral elections by assuming responsibility for it before Parliament.

UDMR national leader Kelemen Hunor on Thursday told AGERPRES that his party would vote on the motion, adding that UDMR was not interested in governing at this time