Romanian President Klaus Iohannis wants to address the Parliament on February 7, and sent a letter to the two Chambers’ presidents in this sense.

The President would like to speak about the Government’s emergency ordinance on amending the Penal Code, which has led to massive protests and negative reactions in Romania and abroad, and about these events generated by the ordinance’s adoption, according to a press release of the Presidency.

The emergency ordinance that changes the Penal Code was already published in the Official Gazette, but most of its provisions will come into force on February 11. People took to the streets these days, hoping to convince the Government to withdraw the ordinance by then.

On Thursday, President Iohannis notified the Constitutional Court on this ordinance, asking it to solve the juridical conflict of constitutional nature between the Government, on one hand, and the Parliament and the Council of Magistrates, on the other hand. The Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) also notified the Constitutional Court this week, saying that the Government has started a constitutional conflict with the justice system by adopting this emergency ordinance.

On Friday, Romania's Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea attacked the Government's emergency ordinance at the Constitutional Court. The Ombudsman is the only institution that has the possibility to notify the Constitutional Court about possible unconstitutional provisions in emergency ordinances.

President Klaus Iohannis has been one of the most visible opponents of the emergency ordinance the Government adopted on Tuesday evening. On January 18, he unexpectedly went to the Government meeting and asked Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu not to approve any ordinances to change the criminal law without transparent public consultations. After the meeting, the justice minister announced that the ordinance is up for public debate, alongside another ordinance on prisoner pardon. Two days later, the President urged the Government to withdraw the two documents, and, on January 23, he called for a referendum on this matter. At the end of January, Iohannis again asked the Government to drop the ordinances.

However, the next day, the Government adopted in a late meeting the ordinance that amends the Penal Codes. The President reacted immediately on his Facebook page, saying: “The rule of law was dealt a powerful blow from the enemies of justice and fight against corruption.”

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com