Romanian MPs Vote Themselves Golden Retirement

The Romanian parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly adopted a law offering special bumper pensions for lawmakers after they retire. The law was adopted with 303 votes in favour and 124 against.

For completing one term, a former senator or deputy will now take away a special pension of 1,550 lei (344 euro) per month, under the new law.

Those who complete two terms will receive 3,100 lei, and those who complete three terms will get 4,600 lei - all added to their normal pensions.

MPs who supported the law said the prospect of more retirement cash would lure experts in various fields to run for parliament and thus increase parliament's quality and performance.

Many people condemned the decision, reflecting Romanians' traditional contempt of the political class. "It is wrong for MPs to vote higher pensions for themselves as parliament remains an inefficient and corrupt institution," Cosmin Popescu, a 45-years old engineer, said. "MPs have to understand they are not beyond the law," he added.

The pension hike comes as MPs also move to protect themselves from judicial corruption probes. This year alone, parliament has blocked probes into three MPs, including one into the current Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

By law, prosecutors need parliament's approval to investigate and detain sitting lawmakers for offences committed while they were in office.

Unsurprisingly, parliament is among the least trusted institutions in Romania. Only 12 per cent of Romanians have much faith in it, according to a recent poll. By contrary, over 76 per cent of Romanians most trust the army and around 61 per cent most trust the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Analysts say that high levels of trust in soldiers and churchmen reflect the traditional...