Two-round mayoral election bill returns to committees

The Senate leadership on Monday decided to return to its specialist committees a bill providing for two-round mayoral elections. 

Senate treasurer Cristian Bodea of the National Liberal Party (PNL) explained that the previous reports on the bill sponsored by his party were voided, with the Judiciary Committee and the Constitutionality Board being the new committees to be notified about the bill. Previously, the bill reached the Administration Committee and the Judiciary Committee. 

He added that both the voiding of the previous reports and the re-submission of the bill to the committees passed by an 8 to 4 vote. 

"The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has suggested voiding the reports on the bill released by the Senate's relevant committees because an electoral revision board was in place throughout December 30. PNL considered the board to be mandated for the drawing up of laws, while the amendments should have followed the usual procedures and that the reports should stay valid. PSD forced a repealing vote on the committee reports and the vote passed 8 to 4. PNL voted against," Bodea said Monday after a meeting of the Standing Bureau. 

In his opinion, procrastination is the political reason for the procedure. 

"Then, they voted on the bill being sent back to committees. But we dissented in the committees which reports we voided, again 8 to 4, because we do not believe the procedure is right. But we noticed that those reports, since they were drawn up, are good because they cannot possibly be different as the committees have the same members, there is the same political composition and there will be the same ballots. We would have preferred to cut this Gordian knot and send the bill for a plenary vote session. (...) Procrastination is the political reasons here. (...) All the other parties represented in the Senate oppose a two-round mayoral election system," said Bodea. 

He showed that those who voted for returning the bill argued that the Senate's committees should have not issued a report as long as there was an electoral code board in place that ended its activity late last December. 

"They will keep shuttlecocking it [in committees], we will vote on it somewhere this March; it then goes to the Chamber [of Deputies] and comes out a law somewhere this September and it may be for two-round mayoral elections," added Bodea. 

He said PNL will ask weekly the Standing Bureau to speed up the committees' drawing up the relevant reports. AGERPRES