Social-Democrats’ leader could lose MP seat in Romania’s new Parliament

Liviu Dragnea, the president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the party that won the recent parliamentary elections organized in Romania, could lose the MP seat he won following the elections. Dragnea was elected deputy in Teleorman, but he may lose this seat because the Chamber of Deputies’ regulation says that the election of a deputy can be invalidated if the person in question was sentenced for crimes related to the electoral process, according to local News.ro. This rule would apply in Dragnea’s case, as he was sentenced to two years probation in April this year, in a case related to the electoral fraud at the 2012 referendum organized to dismiss former President Traian Basescu. The sentence ruled by the High Court of Cassation and Justice is final. Raluca Turcan, the interim president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), wrote on her Facebook page that PNL would “advocate for the invalidation of PSD president Liviu Dragnea’s deputy mandate, and will vote accordingly.” “The Chamber of Deputies’ regulation is clear: the mandates of persons sentenced for electoral fraud can not be validated. I hope that all other parties will stand for this position of common sense and vote against. If PSD prevails in the vote, we consider notifying the Constitutional Court,” Turcan wrote. Liviu’s Dragnea conviction could also stand in the way if he wanted to become Romania’s new Prime Minister. As the big winner of the elections, PSD, which will most likely form a majority in the parliament with the Liberal Democratic Alliance (ALDE), is almost sure to name the new Prime Minister. Voices from PSD said in the last weeks that Liviu Dragnea would be the best PM, but President Klaus Iohannis stated that he wouldn’t nominate a Prime Minister with integrity problems. Moreover, there is a law according to which a convicted person can’t be a member of the Government. Dragnea said on Sunday that he would announce the name of the person who will be proposed to take over as Prime Minister on Wednesday or Thursday, after the consultations with President Iohannis, reports local Agerpres. He also said that he would not go to the consultations with “a list of names,” but with one name only. Romanian President summons new Parliament on Tuesday