Intimidation and Blackmail instead of
Persuasion and Dialogue

The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR is thinking that the extremely aggressive way in which the campaign for voting the new Constitution is organized clearly shows that the governing party is trying to intimidate the citizens and not to persuade them of the usefulness of the revision. The propositions subject to be changed are neither sufficiently well known nor popularized not even in the twelfth hour. Not only that the majority of Romanians do not know them, and thus have no way of voting fully aware, but in many places in the country the people think that there will be local or general elections.

We believe that the public information should be made during the developing of the proposals, so that the Romanian society could contribute to its new Constitution and not to be faced with a final version, with the pathetic excuse that there would be no more time. It so absurd that the citizens should be urged to vote without knowing for what. The alteration of the Constitution begun years ago, and if now there is no more time for being informed, this is because neither a real debate nor a Constitution that would be true future project of the whole society were ever wanted.

This is why we think we face a regrettable and undignified blackmail practiced in favor of voting the Constitution under the slogan "YES for Europe!", thus insinuating that those who do not agree with the revised text are to be considered against the European integration. We reject such culpability, especially when it comes from the part of the guilty ones, guilty of mocking of the Constitution revision. This one should have, in the first place, modified the functioning of the institutions in favor of the citizens and accordingly to their wishes. The new Constitution contains important positive alterations but, because of the contempt the proposals of revision uttered by the civil society were treated it only makes halves of steps: for instance, the parliamentarian immunity and the procedure of emergency ordinances are insufficiently limited and the attributions of the Parliament chambers are insufficiently delimited. Other quite imperious steps are not taken at all: the prosecutors are still over the minister's authority and the political traseism is not sanctioned.

The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania is thinking that every citizen has to freely and fully aware decide whether the revised form of the Constitution is representing him or not, and whether it is worth voting for or not. This is why, we are urging each URR member or sympathizer to carefully study the shape of the text proposed to be voted and to decide for himself. Absurdly enough, the new complete text of the Constitution which is proposed to be revised is not of public circulation, so, for this reason we have decided to put together the old text and the propositions of revision in order to get a clear image of the revision and the new complete text of the text subject to be adopted. This text can be accessed on the party site, at www.urr.ro.

Cosmin Alexandru
President
The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR