Romanian Parliament, not big enough for higher number of new MPs

The Romanian Parliament, located in the People's Palace, the second largest building in the world, after America's Pentagon, does not have enough room for all the MPs after the general elections on Sunday. The plenum hall only has seating available for 501 MPs, while the existing Parliament has 550 Deputies and Senators in total. Those who cannot find seats on the ground floor can sit in the balconies of the room, said Liviu Dragnea, General Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), part of the wining alliance USL. This has been caused by an increase in the number of MPs, 80 more than during the previous parliament. The Chamber of Deputies will have 382 members, 49 more than before, and the Senate, 168 members, 31 more. There could be a loophole however – as the number of absent MPs even during very important votes is usually quite high. The joint Senate and Chamber of Deputies meetings require a quorum of half plus one attendants, and in many cases the debates had to be delayed as the quorum had not been met. editor@romania-insider.com