Save Romania Union (USR) leader Elena Lasconi said that the Venice Commission report released on Monday confirms that last year’s presidential elections were annulled „abusively” by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR).

„The Venice Commission confirms what I have said from the first moment: the Constitutional Court issued an abusive decision. The Venice Commission tells us clearly enough, for those who want to hear and understand, that the way in which the CCR annulled the presidential elections in our country was abusive. The Central Electoral Bureau [BEC] should have made a decision in this case, not the nine politically appointed judges of the CCR. Romania has clear rules for elections, the BEC had responsibilities, but it preferred to be a pawn in a bigger game, which led to the trampling of our democracy,” wrote the USR leader on Facebook on Monday.

According to her, the Central Electoral Bureau had the obligation to keep the Romanians’ vote „safe” and to intervene, but the CCR „was left to make this abusive decision” so that no one could challenge it.

„This is not a functional democracy. I have been told that I am wrong, that I am subjective, that I have a personal interest when, from the very first moment, I drew attention to the fact that our democracy is in danger if the CCR becomes a state within a state. And, despite the constant attacks, I have continued to speak the truth, to fight for what is right! Two months after the annulment of the elections, we are still in the dark, without any evidence of irregularities and interference in the electoral process that could have affected the outcome of the vote. We do not know what the concrete data are from any of those responsible on the basis of which this unprecedented decision was made,” Elena Lasconi mentioned.

She added that the opinions of the Venice Commission must be respected and transposed into law, „if we want to remain a democracy”. In her opinion, Romania is „still” in a situation where decisions are made „arbitrarily, behind closed doors, without transparency and without evidence”.

The USR chairperson said that among the conclusions and recommendations of the Venice Commission are the improvement of the legislation on the annulment of elections; the decision of annulment should be made by the BEC and could be appealed at the CCR or the Supreme Court/specialized court; the Constitutional Court could invalidate elections only in exceptional and clearly regulated circumstances.

„The CCR should have provided clear evidence of non-compliance with campaign rules, not just classified information from the SRI [the Romanian Intelligence Service], it should have given interested parties the opportunity to present their point of view before making the decision. I am here to defend democracy and, despite all the obstacles put in my way, I will fight for every vote to be defended! Romania deserves to be a country where every citizen is respected and where the state works for the people,” Lasconi said.

The Venice Commission, a consultative body of the Council of Europe, on Monday published a report on the annulment of the presidential elections in Romania by the Constitutional Court of Romania in which it considers, among other things, that the annulment of elections can only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.

AGERPRES