30/07/2012 President
Strasbourg, 30.07.2012 – The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Jean-Claude Mignon, today made the following statement after yesterday's referendum on dismissal of the President of Romania:
"I note the results of the referendum. I now call on all players in Romanian politics to overcome their differences and agree to work together to meet the major challenges which lie ahead of Romania in the coming weeks and months, showing the mutual respect without which democracy would be just a set of formal rules. I also urge them to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, which is vital to the establishment and strengthening of the rule of law.
Even so, it is my firm belief that Romania should not fail to give thought to reform of its institutions, with a view to a clarification of responsibilities and to simplification.
The PACE is of course willing to provide any assistance and support to the Romanian authorities that they may consider useful."
On a recent fact-finding visit to the country (18-19 July 2012), a Parliamentary Assembly delegation headed by Jean-Claude Mignon had called on "all political forces to fully shoulder their responsibilities and ensure that the country’s institutions function democratically, with due respect for the rule of law". The conclusions of this visit are to be discussed at a meeting of the Bureau of the PACE on 3 September 2012 in Nice.