Save Romania Union (USR) Lower House floor leader Ionut Mosteanu declared on Tuesday that the head of the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) Toni Grebla should have stepped down a long time ago, because he „didn’t do his job” and had a partisan attitude. Also, Mosteanu said that AEP needs „an honest, well-respected, apolitical, and experienced” person at its helm.
Political sources said that according to a decision taken on Tuesday at the meeting of the governing coalition, procedures to remove the head of the Permanent Electoral Authority Toni Grebla will be initiated in the Standing Bureaus of Parliament.
„I have been requesting [Grebla’s dismissal] since June last year after the local elections, where he practically derided the vote of many citizens. He didn’t agree to the recount in certain polling stations, despite very clear evidence, and literally trampled on that vote. I demanded his removal from office, but ever since, the PNL and PSD have been blocking our request in the joint Standing Bureaus. I submitted another request in December, then another one at the beginning of the year and that is why I say: they are finally doing what needs to be done for us to be satisfied that those in charge of this election and who have the law on their side make sure that we have fair election, that they no longer sleep at the wheel, as Mr. Grebla did by negligence, out of laziness or out of friendship with AUR, as we saw what happened in the November campaign,” Mosteanu said.
He stressed that it is important who will replace Toni Grebla, and that the USR will make a proposal in this regard.
Mosteanu also criticized Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu for saying that the elections were well organized.
„Let me ask you: had Mr. Ciolacu, who was also present at the Supreme Council for National Defence meeting, who was beaten in the elections, who claims that he organized them impeccably, had he made it to the second round, would the election still have been annulled? You don’t have to answer, I leave the public opinion with this question. Mr. Ciolacu was prime minister at that time, he did a sloppy job with organizing the elections. You cannot claim that you faultlessly organized a ballot that was canceled. This state has certain institutions that didn’t function, again, some due to political entanglement, others due to ignorance,” added the leader of the USR deputies.
In his opinion, Toni Grebla „was biased, he was PSD’s man and favored the PSD and the PSD allies, those from extremist parties.” „It’s a good thing that he’s going home,” Ionut Mosteanu concluded.
AGERPRES
