UDMR's Kelemen: Draft on autonomy is ready; we need new Constitution

Chairman of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor believes that Romania needs a new Constitution and stated that the Constitutional Court of Romania's (CCR) ruling regarding the Constitution revision project shows that "there is no use to just patch up the Constitution".

Furthermore, Hunor Kelemen has announced that the draft regarding territorial autonomy has been finalised, following next to be put up for public debate. There is no reason for a government meeting to discuss the matter yet, he explained.

"The territorial autonomy draft is ready. We are still discussing it at the time and we shall present it soon enough, for it's ready. It's already written. As the Constitutional Court has suggested us, we must be very honest and admit there is no way it could be a good fit with the current Constitution. Romania needs a new Constitution, on a medium term, not today, not in 2015, not even in 2016, but at the elections of 2016 we must all come with this message because, from my point of view, the CCR'r ruling regarding the revision project says that there is no use to patching up the Constitution. We must think of a completely new project", said Hunor Kelemen on Tuesday at the Senate, after meeting the members of the Culture Commission.

Hunor Kelemen added that this draft law will not be submitted to the Government yet.

"It doesn't concern the coalition, it concerns the UDMR, so that there is no reason to discuss it at the Government or at the coalition. A large and profound public debate is to follow and I said that this project and other similar projects, without a new Constitution, without a modification of the Constitution at least, although I'm speaking of an entirely new Constitution...