Bucharest, 3 June 1997 (RFE/RL) - Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea today outlined his government's reform plan to a joint session of Parliament, invoking a little-used mechanism whereby the government "assumes responsibility" for its plan.
The political mechanism also assumes Parliamentary confidence in the plan, and is designed to speed the reform plan's approval.
The opposition has three days in which to file a no-confidence motion, directly related to Ciorbea's tactic. A separate, opposition-sponsored no-confidence vote is scheduled Friday.
Experts say that by invoking the "responsibility" mechanism, Ciorbea seeks a free hand to implement his entire reform program, including austerity-related agreements with international lenders.
Ciorbea's coalition Government enjoys a comfortable majority in Parliament, and any no-confidence vote is expected to fail.