Ghimpu, Filat exchange sharp retorts

Acting President Mihai Ghimpu, in a press briefing on Wednesday, said Prime Minister Vlad Filat violated the Constitution when the Government assumed responsibility for the organic law for amending the state budget law for 2010, the state social insurance budget law for 2010, and the law on social allowances paid during the cold period of 2010, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ghimpu said that under the Constitution, the Government can assume responsibility before Parliament, but it was obliged to submit the bill to the Standing Bureau for examination and then to the legislative body. Afterward, the MPs could put forward a censorship motion. Later, the law is promulgated by the head of state. “I, as President of Moldova and a guarantor of the Constitution, I cannot allow this. Because the Parliament did not file a censorship motion, with the Constitution saying the bill takes effect 72 hours after adopted, I’m obliged to sign this law,” Mihai Ghimpu said. He also said in this case the executive wanted to deprive the legislature of the right to examine the law, while the President of the right to send it back to Parliament if he did not agree with it. Ghimpu said he informed the other two leaders from the governing alliance, Marian Lupu and Serafim Urecheanu, about the jurists’ judgment that the Premier broke the supreme law. Asked to comment on these accusations, the Liberal-Democrat Premier said the assumption of responsibility before the Parliament in order to provide compensations to over 500,000 persons with a pension of under 900 lei, 30,000 deprived families and 60,000 budget-funded employees with a salary lower than 700 leu cannot be considered a violation of the Constitution as Article 106 of the Supreme Law stipulates such a mechanism. Vlad Filat reiterated that as no censorship motion has been filed during 72 hours, the Head of Parliament is to sign the law and then promulgate it. He also said that the situation was overcome as the Speaker announced he would sign the organic law for amending the three laws.