Poor Romania expands parliament

(BUCHAREST) - Romania's new parliament is preparing to welcome more than 100 extra deputies following weekend elections, an increase that is raising eyebrows in one of the poorest countries in the European Union.

The parliament will now consist of 588 deputies instead of 470. Of those, 412 will be in the lower house and 176 in the Senate.

The increase will mean that Romania, with a population of 19 million, will have a larger parliament than that of France or the Netherlands, Mediafax news agency said.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta, whose centre-left alliance won a clear majority in the Sunday vote, said the assembly's budget will not be revised in 2013 to accommodate the increase.

"We won't boost (the budget) because that would not be right and people would not understand it," he said.

Deputies earn about 1,500 euros a month (2,000 dollars) compared to the average monthly salary of 350 euros and a minimum wage of 150 euros.