Romanian Parliament Denies Opposition’s Bid To Put Off Education Bill Adoption

The decision to allow the Cabinet to seek a confidence vote Thursday was madw with 12 to 11 votes.

Romania’s Prime Minister Emil Boc, whose Government survived a no-confidence vote Wednesday, arrived in Parliament Thursday to seek a confidence vote to pass the education bill. He said the Parliament cannot postpone the vote sought for the bill because a date has already been set and it is the Government’s prerogative to decide when to pass a bill by seeking a confidence vote in Parliament

Leaders of the opposition Social Democratic and Liberal Parties said Wednesday they would call on the Parliament to postpone the procedure for the education bill until the Constitutional Court issues a ruling concerning it. The Senate’s social democrat chairman, Mircea Geoana, notified the court last week regarding a potential conflict between state institutions, triggered by the Cabinet’s decision to pull the education bill from the Senate and seek lawmakers’ confidence vote to pass it.

The Constitutional Court decided Wednesday it would discuss Geoana’s claim on November 3.