The Save Romania Union (USR) is asking the leadership of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to call a joint session of both chambers of Parliament for the dismissal of Toni Grebla from his position as president of the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP).

According to a press release from USR, it is „unacceptable” for Grebla to remain in charge of the AEP, given the „catastrophic manner” in which he has exercised his duties since taking the office.

„What confidence can voters have in an institution that is supposed to control the financing of electoral campaigns, but does not take action over zero expenditures? Or in a man who, while holding the position of president of the AEP, has dubious connections with close associates of the extremist candidate who reached the second round of the presidential elections, while his wife has no qualms about openly campaigning for him? The Permanent Electoral Authority is the institution that should ensure that Romanians’ votes are protected and that elections are conducted fairly. What we saw in the June elections and now shows that Toni Grebla is a threat to Romania’s democracy. I hope that PSD [Social Democratic Party] and PNL [National Liberal Party] will understand the danger and that he must be dismissed urgently,” said Ionut Mosteanu, leader of USR MPs.

USR had called for Grebla’s dismissal after the June 9 elections, mentioning that these elections were marked by „chaos and numerous frauds.” Narcis Mircescu, leader of USR Senators, believes that Toni Grebla has „definitively compromised” the voting process.

„Such a thing cannot be overlooked. Toni Grebla has destroyed Romanians’ trust in the right they earned 35 years ago, to freely choose their representatives and leaders, both locally and at the national level, including the President of the country,” said Narcis Mircescu.

USR highlights that the AEP, through the Department for the Control of Political Parties and Electoral Campaign Financing (DCFPPCE), is in charge with overseeing the financing of political party activities and electoral campaigns.

„The fact that AEP received declarations from candidate Calin Georgescu, claiming to have invested 0 lei in his presidential campaign, indicates serious deficiencies in the Permanent Electoral Authority’s exercise of its oversight duties, given that it is well known that an electoral campaign involves significant costs and expenses. The lack of concrete control actions by the AEP is even more glaring when compared to the fact that the General Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into undeclared campaign expenses and other associated electoral crimes,” the source added.

AGERPRES