Opposition union in Romania wants to suspend president

Romania's opposition union the Social Liberal Union (USL) has started the procedures aiming at suspending the country's president Traian Basescu, saying the president has infringed the Constitution when announcing there are no money to increase pensions. Traian Basescu has recently said that, irrespective to what the Constitutional Court will say, there are no money to increase pensions.

Suspending the president would require 236 votes in the Parliament – half of the MPs- to pass. The opposition has 18 MPs less than the ruling parties. President Traian Basescu was suspended in 2007, for a month, but he was reinstated after a referendum. The head of state in Romania can be suspended by the Parliament but the people of Romania decide whether the president is removed from office after being suspended. During the president's suspension, the president of the Senate take over the presidential attributions. The current head of the Senate is Mircea Geoana, former head of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), a part that is part of the opposition union. PSD has recently decided to oust Geoana from the party and wants to remove him from the helm of the Senate as well. Mircea Geoana used to run the Social Democratic Party, but was replaced by younger Victor Ponta in 2010. Read the full story here. editor@romania-insider.com