President Iohannis: CCR cannot be notified about decree on extending Chief of Defence Staff mandate

President Klaus Iohannis on Friday stated that the extension of the Chief of Defence Staff General Nicolae Ciuca's mandate is a very good solution "perfectly legal and according to the Constitution."

"I don't see how the Constitutional Court could be notified about this. I signed the decree, because the law allows me to do it. The law specifies this very clearly: the mandate of the Chief of the Defence Staff can be extended. First of all, the law doesn't say anywhere that the President must wait for a proposal from the Minister to extend the Chief of the Defence Staff. Second of all, you do realize what would have happened if Romania had no chief of army. This is unacceptable and impossible and the PSD [Social Democratic Party, part of the ruling coalition] was incapable of coming with a serious proposal, so now they can sit and think some more about it. I can't stay in Romania if there is no chief of army, which is the reason for which I prolonged General Ciuca's mandate, who did a very good job in his four years. I am very peaceful with him as the chief of the army for another year. It seems to me this is a great solution, a solution that is also perfectly legal and according to the Constitution," said Iohannis. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)

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