2012 Romanian constitutional crisis
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The 2012 Romanian constitutional crisis was a major political and constitutional conflict between
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservatism, conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions ...
and
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. A dispute arose between the two regarding the representation of Romania to the
European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...
reunion of June 28, 2012. The dispute degenerated in
civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hen ...
and conflicting views between political parties. On 12 December 2012, Băsescu and Ponta signed an agreement on institutional cohabitation, effectively ending the crisis.


Background

President
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservatism, conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions ...
and Prime Minister
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
became locked in a constitutional judicial conflict over Romania's representation at the June 28, 2012 meeting of the European Council. President Traian Băsescu submitted a complaint to Romania's Constitutional Court in point of the conflict with Government concerning the representation on the European Council. Ponta declared to the Romanian press agency Mediafax that misconception claimed by President Băsescu to the Constitutional Court is between Presidency and Parliament, and Court judges can only determine the existence of a conflict, that can not be solved only by amending the Constitution. Parliament plenary adopted on June 12, 2012, with 249 votes in favor, 30 against and two abstentions, a political declaration recommending that at European Council meeting on June 28 Romania to be represented by Premier Victor Ponta, not by President Traian Băsescu. That decision triggered a fierce conflict between the two Palaces. , President Traian Băsescu sent to Premier Victor Ponta a letter which drew attention that participation in the European Council without a mandate from the President legally equalizes with ownership of a constitutional prerogatives of the President. At a press conference, Ponta broke the letter, ironically replying this gesture. On June 27, Constitutional Court decides that the President is required to attend the European Council in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. Ponta respond in a way that nobody expected. Government takes in authority the Official Monitor, delaying publication of the Constitutional Court decision, regarding participation in European Council and making the presence of Victor Ponta in Brussels to be legal.


Plagiarism controversy

Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
obtained his PhD in law from the
University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...
, in July 2003, with a thesis entitled "International Criminal Court". Scientific advisor of this piece of work was
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
, then Prime Minister in office, who serves a 1-year sentence in prison since 2012. On June 18, 2012, online edition of '' Nature'' magazine published the news that Victor Ponta, "Prime Minister of Romania, has been accused of copying large sections of his 2003 PhD thesis in law from previous publications, without proper reference". The charge was made on the basis of documents compiled by an anonymous
whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
. "Ponta obtained his doctorate from the University of Bucharest while he was Secretary of State in Năstase I Cabinet, who was his doctoral thesis supervisor", the author writes. Concomitantly, imputation of plagiarism was also published by German newspaper
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...
. Karl Peter Schwarz, a journalist from the newspaper and author of the inquiry published by him, commented on the subject in an interview on June 20, 2012, in which showed that the case would be worse than plagiarists politicians in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, whereas the latter "didn't copy whole pages of the thesis, as he did". News from ''Nature'', about plagiarism, were resumed by Romanian and international press, in
România Liberă ''România liberă'' ("") is a Romanian daily newspaper founded in 1943 and currently based in Bucharest. A newspaper of the same name also existed between 1877 and 1888. History and profile The name ''România liberă'' was first used by a dai ...
, Hotnews.ro,
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,
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, weekly
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,
Il Messaggero ''Il Messaggero'' (Italian : "The Messenger") is an Italian newspaper based in Rome, Italy. It has been in circulation since 1878. History and profile ''Il Messaggero'' was founded in December 1878. On 1 January 1879, the first issue of ''Il M ...
(
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),
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,
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,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. A document published by TVR presents the passages of thesis copied in parallel with source texts. It appears that much of the work was copied, word for word, from the following works: * Diaconu, D.: ''International Criminal Court, History and Reality'', All Beck Publishing House, 1999; * Crețu, V.: ''International Criminal Law'', Tempus Publishing House, 1996; * Diaconu, I.: ''The International Criminal Court: A New Stage'', Nicolae Titulescu Romanian Inst. International Studies, 2002; * Duculescu, V.: preface to the work of D. Diaconu, ''International Criminal Court, History and Reality''. Members of the National Council for the Recognition of Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates decided, after examining the thesis of PM Ponta, that he had plagiarized 85 pages of the work, although in the press had conveyed numbers from 30 to about 130 pages plagiarized from these works. A detailed analysis in parallel of the texts conducted by journalists from ''România Liberă'' indicated not only a taking over of the informative parts, but also of the authors' personal assessments, of the rhetorical questions put by them, of the references to older texts of the same author, and orthography mistakes. The doctoral thesis was subsequently published in book form, with a preface signed by even I. Diaconu (author of one of the three plagiarized works), having Daniela Coman as co-author. Other sources indicate author's preface as Adrian Năstase. On the other hand, National Ethics Council decided on July 18, 2012 that Ponta didn't plagiarize. On July 20, 2012, Ethics Committee of the University of Bucharest decided that Victor Ponta deliberately plagiarized, finding passages copied on 115 pages of the 297 (namely the thesis excluding Năstase's preface and appendices). On the same day, ''Nature'' magazine related about contradictory verdicts of Government Ethics Commission and Ethics Committee of the University.


''Diesel fuel'' dossier

President Traian Băsescu and former Minister of Regional Development and Tourism,
Elena Udrea Elena Gabriela Udrea (; born 26 December 1973) is a Romanian politician. An independent who held office while in the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and then the People's Movement Party (PMP), she was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies ...
, were intercepted in the dossier of former head of National Agency for Fiscal Administration, Sorin Blejnar. President Băsescu spoke on the phone with Blejnar about
Rompetrol Rompetrol is a crude oil development, producer, and refiner based in Romania. It also markets and distributes refined petroleum products through its chain of gasoline and diesel fuel stations. Established as a state-owned company in 1974, it w ...
problem, but also about the situation of a company that has contracts with the State. Elena Udrea also had four discussions with Blejnar, in that they fixed appointments. The phone of former head of the IRS was heard by prosecutors in the case of
diesel fuel Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and t ...
imports in
Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
, in that the former head of NAFA was indicted by DIICOT prosecutors for favoring the offender. Sorin Blejnar called in September 2010 the President Traian Băsescu, to inform him about a construction company, which has won numerous contracts with the State and which has debts. The company belongs to some PDL friends. Likewise, President demanded explanations about Rompetrol and told Blejnar to find solutions together with the
Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
. The Presidential Administration recognized the interceptions in DIICOT dossier. According to the Presidency, talks between President Băsescu and former head of NAFA focused on the recovery of Rompetrol company's debts to the State, given that combating tax evasion and collection of receivables from the state budget made the object of a CSAT decision of 28 June 2010. The judicial inspection of the Superior Council of Magistracy initiated an investigation to see if the DIICOT case prosecutor in the Dossier "Diesel fuel" complied with the procedure when introduced interceptions with President Traian Băsescu in the dossier devoid of classifying them and to investigate a possible leak from Brașov Court.


Communique issued by the Presidential Administration


SCM scandal

On January 4, 2013, there were held elections for the offices of President and Vice-President of the Superior Council of Magistracy. The prosecutor Oana Schmidt Hăineală was chosen as president of the SCM, after being heard by the members of SCM, with his rival, the judge Mircea Aron. The conduct of elections triggered disputes and controversies between Superior Council of Magistracy and National Union of Judges in Romania, that roughly criticized the elections, whereon it considers untransparent and unprofessional. Likewise, the Magistrates Association in Romania expressed dissatisfaction with the appointment of Oana Hăineală as head of the SCM. As a release of the situation, the Department for judges of the Superior Council of Magistracy demanded the resignation of honor of Oana Schmidt Hăineală as president of SCM and, simultaneously, asked judges Alina Ghica and Cristi Danileț to relinquish the nomination for Vice-President of the Council.


Corruption scandal

In a report on justice in Romania, drawn up by the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
on January 30, 2013, appear three ministers investigated for corruption. According to a European official, two of ministers referred to in the CVM report are
Liviu Dragnea Liviu Nicolae Dragnea (; born 28 October 1962) is a Romanian engineer and former politician. Starting his career in the Democratic Party (PD), he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), eventually becoming its leader. After holding several po ...
and
Varujan Vosganian Varujan Vosganian (; hy, Վարուժան Ոսկանեան, born on 25 July 1958) is a Romanian politician, economist, essayist and poet of Armenian origin. Vosganian was Romania's Minister of Economy and Commerce (2006–2008) in the Tăriceanu ...
. According to Prime Minister
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
, the third one is
Relu Fenechiu Relu Fenechiu (born July 3, 1965) is a Romanian businessman and former politician. A former member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Iași County from 2004 to 2014. In the Victor Ponta cab ...
. Dragnea is being investigated for alleged involvement in fraud in the referendum regarding the dismissal of President
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservatism, conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions ...
. Fenechiu was prosecuted, in the summer of 2012, in Transformer dossier, in which he's charged with complicity in abuse of office. Likewise, the European Commission Report on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism records that there's intimidation and harassment against individuals in state institutions, like National Integrity Agency, Constitutional Court, High Court of Cassation and Superior Council of Magistracy. "The judicial independence doesn't exist", affirmed Mark Gray, European Commission spokesman.


Beginning of crisis

Traian Băsescu's troubles began on June 18.
Hidroelectrica Hidroelectrica is a leader in electricity production and the main provider of technological services required in the National Energy System in Romania. The company is currently managed in a dual system, by a Management Board, under the supervisio ...
, a state-owned energy company announced that it was
insolvent In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company (debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet inso ...
. It was a move that Ponta hit the "smart guys", which have signed contracts with all governments (right- or left-wing) to buy cheap energy from Hidroelectrica. On the same day, Victor Ponta became embroiled in a plagiarism scandal: ''Nature'' magazine claimed that the Premier copied his dissertation in 2003. On June 20, former PSD leader and premier and Ponta's political mentor
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
was sentenced to two years of imprisonment after conviction in a corruption trial due to his alleged involvement in the dossier "Quality Trophy". The same evening, as police arrived at his home to escort him to prison, Năstase shot himself in an apparent suicide attempt and was transported to Floreasca Hospital. A week later, Adrian Năstase was transferred to Rahova Prison Hospital. On June 25, the
Romanian Senate ) is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 136 seats (before the 2016 Romanian legislative election the total number of elected representatives was 176), to which members are elected by direct popular vote using party-list ...
decided to alter the functioning of the Constitutional Court law, such that the court will not be able to rule on Parliament decisions, thus facilitating the procedure for suspension of the President. In the following days, the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
approved the referendum law amendment, which established that the President can be dismissed easily, only half the votes of those who come to the polls. Until that point, the law stipulated that the President is dismissed only if the proposal was passed by majority of voters registered on electoral lists. On June 27, the Pure uninominal law, initiated by Victor Ponta and
Crin Antonescu George Crin Laurențiu Antonescu (; born 21 September 1959) is a Romanian politician, who was President of the National Liberal Party (PNL) from 2009 to 2014. He also served as the country Acting President after the impeachment of Traian Băsesc ...
, is declared unconstitutional. On the same day, PDL attack to the Constitutional Court the referendum law and the Constitutional Court Law amending. In press occurs rumors about filing a penal complaint at Parquet against Victor Ponta by Traian Băsescu, as the Prime Minister to be, then suspended from office. President denies this version, but accuses Ponta that represents illegitimate Romania in Brussels. National Council for Titles, Diplomas and Certificates establishes that Victor Ponta plagiarized in his PhD thesis. Council claims that 85 pages are copied and called for the title of doctor withdrawal. But, before the verdict, Interim Minister of Education, Liviu Pop, dissolved the National Council for Titles, Diplomas and Certificates, such that the decision was void. On July 3, the
Romanian Parliament The Parliament of Romania ( ro, Parlamentul României) is the national bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies ( ro, Camera Deputaților) and the Senate ( ro, Senat). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament in Bu ...
, at proposal of majority represented by
USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
, vote dismissal of
President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...
, PDL leader
Vasile Blaga Vasile Blaga (; born 26 July 1956) is a Romanian politician who was Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate, from 2011 to 2012. He also served as Minister of Regional Development and Housing and twice as Minister of Ad ...
,
President of the Chamber of Deputies President of the Chamber of Deputies may refer to: * List of presidents of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies * List of presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia * President of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) * President of the Chamber of Dep ...
, PDL member
Roberta Anastase Roberta Alma Anastase (; born 27 March 1976 in Ploiești, Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania) is a Romanian politician and former first female President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, President of Chamber of Deputies of Romania, the C ...
and
Ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
. Through an Emergency Ordinance, government restricts the attributions of the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
, restoring them to the 2010 status quo.


President's suspension

Băsescu was suspended as
President of Romania The president of Romania ( ro, Președintele României) is the head of state of Romania. Following a modification to the Constitution of Romania, Romanian Constitution in 2003, the president is directly elected by a two-round system and serves ...
, by
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, with 256 votes in favor and 114 against. There were two abstentions. After announcing the results, Parliament proposed that the presidential impeachment
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
to be held on July 29, 2012, proposal approved by the plenary with 242 votes in favor. Suspended president notified the Constitutional Court, calling for a constitutional legal conflict between president and Parliament. "I do not defend the seat, but I want to defend the office", President explained. Therewith, he reiterated accusations against
USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
and its leaders, accusing them of lying and wanted to subordinate the justice. "If I return as president it will still be impossible for thieves and impostors from politics to negotiate with me their calmness. I think that Romanians do not want the peace during Iliescu government. I can not guarantee that I will continue to be a strong nut for those who believe that Romania can go forward with a justice that protects thieves", Băsescu said. He added that "suspender's great argument is that I haven't popularity", and if he will be reappointed at referendum and he will find Victor Ponta in office he will never entrust the prime minister function. On the other hand,
USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
leaders
Crin Antonescu George Crin Laurențiu Antonescu (; born 21 September 1959) is a Romanian politician, who was President of the National Liberal Party (PNL) from 2009 to 2014. He also served as the country Acting President after the impeachment of Traian Băsesc ...
and
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
ensured that there will be no pressure for justice and for other state institutions.
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
said that during this period of political crisis his family received threats, having to resort to state institutions for protection. On July 9, the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
ascertained
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Băsescu's suspension and confirmed
Crin Antonescu George Crin Laurențiu Antonescu (; born 21 September 1959) is a Romanian politician, who was President of the National Liberal Party (PNL) from 2009 to 2014. He also served as the country Acting President after the impeachment of Traian Băsesc ...
as
Interim President An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or a vacation) or when the post is vacant (such as for death, injury, resignation, dismissal ...
. Therewith,
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
rejected complaints formulated by
Vasile Blaga Vasile Blaga (; born 26 July 1956) is a Romanian politician who was Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate, from 2011 to 2012. He also served as Minister of Regional Development and Housing and twice as Minister of Ad ...
and
Roberta Anastase Roberta Alma Anastase (; born 27 March 1976 in Ploiești, Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania) is a Romanian politician and former first female President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, President of Chamber of Deputies of Romania, the C ...
, supported by PDL, regarding removal from office of
President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...
, respectively
President of the Chamber of Deputies President of the Chamber of Deputies may refer to: * List of presidents of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies * List of presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia * President of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) * President of the Chamber of Dep ...
. On July 19,
USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
laid down, at the Office of the
High Court of Cassation and Justice The High Court of Cassation and Justice ( ro, Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție) is Romania's supreme court, and the court of last resort. It is the equivalent of France's Cour de Cassation and serves a similar function to other courts of ...
, a penal complaint against suspended
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservatism, conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions ...
and other 14 people, for "spreading false information, for defamation of the country and the nation and for endangering safety of the national economy and currency stability".


Motives invoked for suspension

# The President usurped the role of prime minister and substituted him in the constitutional attributions of the Government. # The President repeatedly violated fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens provided in the Constitution. # The President repeatedly violated the principle of separation of powers and judicial independence. # The President has initiated an unconstitutional project to revise the Constitution and violated the constitutional review procedure provided by the fundamental law. # The President abetted to breach of the Constitutional Court decisions and made direct pressure on the judges of the Court, making them "visits" before important decisions. # The President systematically violated the principle of political non-possession of the person who serves as presidential function and abandoned his constitutional role of mediator in the state and society. # The President seriously violated the Constitution and the fundamental principle of representative democracy, when he said he would not appoint a Prime Minister of the USL, even if this party will get absolute majority in Parliament. * Source
Gândul.info
/small>


July 29 referendum

A referendum on impeaching President
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservatism, conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions ...
was held in Romania on July 29, 2012. The referendum was required after Parliament voted in favour of impeaching Băsescu on July 6, and had to take place within a month. Initially, in press was rumored that the referendum wasn't validated due to presence under 50% at vote. Central Electoral Bureau announced on August 1, 2012 the final results of the referendum regarding president Traian Băsescu's dismissal. According to BEC data, 46.24% of citizens entitled to vote attended the referendum. For Băsescu's dismissal voted 87.52%, and against 11.15%. 1.32% was the percentage of invalid votes. On August 2, the judge Aspazia Cojocaru declared, after the Constitutional Court meeting, that from her point of view referendum ought to be canceled, because it was based on false data. According to 20 October 2011 census, in Romania there aren't 18 million citizens eligible to vote, how many were registered on electoral lists. Constitutional Court decided on August 21 that 29 July Romanian presidential impeachment referendum is invalid, and Traian Băsescu will return at the Cotroceni Palace. According to official sources, the decision was taken by 6 votes to 3. Shortly after this decision, Foundation for Defense of Citizens Against State Abuses sued the Romanian state at
European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
for invalidation of the referendum. "Despite all normative acts in effect, recommendations of the Venice Commission, actual updated figures, the nine judges of the Constitutional Court of Romania ignore the political choice of the Romanians. In present-day Romania, the volition of 9 political appointees is above the volition of a nation", was said in a FACIAS communique. Furthermore, Foundation representatives say in CCR decisions material is not respected the principle of the double degree of jurisdiction, in that CCR decisions can not be appealed to any internal tribunal.


Communique issued by the Constitutional Court


Controversies

On July 24, the President of PDL decided to urge voters to not vote at July 29's Romanian presidential impeachment referendum. The decision was made by 59 votes in favor and one abstention. Prime Minister Victor Ponta said that this action is illegal and the party led by Vasile Blaga should be acted criminally. After casting a ballot in the referendum, Prime Minister Victor Ponta expressed "outrage" over what he called his Hungarian counterpart
Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian politician who has served as prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has presided over Fidesz since 1993, with a brief break between 20 ...
's intervention in the country's internal politics by telling ethnic Hungarians in Romania to stay away from the polls in a recall referendum. A count of voters from around 5pm showed turnout was lowest in the Harghita and Covasna counties, at 6.85% and 12.39%, respectively. Likewise,
Attila Mesterházy Attila Mesterházy (born 30 January 1974) is a Hungarian politician, who served as the seventh chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) from 10 July 2010 to 29 May 2014. He was the party's candidate for the position of Prime Minister of ...
,
Hungarian Socialist Party The Hungarian Socialist Party ( hu, Magyar Szocialista Párt), commonly known by its acronym MSZP, is a centre-left social-democratic and pro-European political party in Hungary. It was founded on 7 October, 1989 as a post-communist evolution a ...
leader, warned that Orbán's statements in Romania will affect the minority of ethnic Hungarians, "both short-term and long-term", considering that Hungarian Prime Minister gesture is an interference in the internal affairs of Romania. In both counties, ethnic Hungarians constitute the majority of the population. The
European Commissioner for Justice The Commissioner for Justice and Commissioner for Equality are posts in the European Commission. The portfolios of Justice and Equality were previously combined as ''Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality'' under commissioner i ...
,
Viviane Reding Viviane Adélaïde Reding (born 27 April 1951) is a Luxembourgish politician and a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Luxembourg. She is a member of the Christian Social People's Party, part of the European People's Party. She p ...
, said that after the referendum for President Traian Băsescu's dismissal, there were new pressures and attempts to influence the outcome. Reding said the referendum could not end the political crisis and pressures on judges have continued even after finding out the results, to influence them. She said "the situation in Romania remains fragile", expressing the hope that all political actors in the country are determined to bear "durable and irreversible" the rule of law and judicial independence. In response to Reding's statements, the President of the group of the
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats was officially founded as a Socialist ...
,
Hannes Swoboda Hannes Swoboda (born 10 November 1946) is an Austrian social democratic politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1996 until 2014. Within the Parliament, he represents the Social Democratic Party of Austria and from Januar ...
, said, on September 12, in the European Parliament plenary, that, by reactions to the situation in recent months in Romania, has been impugned the objectivity of EC. "Why not responded with months before to the facts of Mr. Băsescu?", S&D leader in PE asked. Hannes Swoboda also showed that 7.4 million Romanians expressed in the referendum against President Băsescu, much more than elected him. He accused PDL MEPs, including
Monica Macovei Monica Luisa Macovei (; born 4 February 1959) is a Romanian politician, lawyer and former prosecutor, and former Member of the European Parliament from the European Conservatives and Reformists and formerly a member of the Romanian Democratic L ...
, of propaganda with falsehoods against USL. "Where, if not here in PE, you must tell why vote of 8.4 million citizens did not matter at all to you this summer, why a rule that isn't valid anywhere in Europe was imposed to Romania and here I refer to the 50% to vote", said PSD MEP
Cătălin Ivan Cătălin Sorin Ivan (born 23 December 1978) is a Romanian politician, who since the 2009 election has been a Member of the European Parliament for Romania, representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD). Until 2015 he was the Leader of the Roma ...
, in his speech in EP plenary, at the debate on the political situation in Romania. Addressing to Reding, Ivan claimed that she has "acted as canvasser" of Traian Băsescu.


December 9 legislative election

Legislative elections were held in
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
on 9 December 2012. The
Social Liberal Union The Social Liberal Union ( ro, Uniunea Social Liberală, USL) was a grand coalition of several political parties in Romania. The alliance contained two major centre-left and centre-right parties, more specifically the Social Democratic Party (PSD ...
of Prime Minister
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
won an absolute majority in both the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
and the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. Cezar Preda resigned as senior vice-president of PDL and as president of PDL Buzău shortly after the Central Electoral Bureau published the first results of the elections, according to that he would have lost a new mandate in
Buzău County Buzău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km2. * Romanians – 97% * Roma ...
, in favor of Marcel Ciolacu, his rival from the USL. Likewise, Cristian Preda resigned as senior vice president of the PDL during the Board of Directors meeting of December 14. A similar decision was taken by Sever Voinescu.
Dan Diaconescu Dan Cristian Diaconescu (; born December 9, 1967 in Caracal, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a Romanian journalist, politician, presenter, the founder and owner of the former DDTV and OTV television channels. He graduated from the Faculty of M ...
is not covered in the next Parliament. According to
Gorj County Gorj County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. ''Gorj'' comes from the Slavic ''Gor(no)-'' Jiu (“upper Jiu”), in contrast with Dolj (“lower Jiu”). Demographics In 2011, the county had a ...
Electoral Bureau, Diaconescu was voted by 32.47% of voters. His main opponent was himself
Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul României), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul Guvernului României, link=no), is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was s ...
, Victor Ponta, which received 60.98% of votes. Once with the legislative elections, the
Right Romania Alliance The Right Romania Alliance ( ro, Alianţa România Dreaptă, ARD, also translating to "Just Romania Alliance") was a Romanian electoral alliance formed between the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL), the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Part ...
was dissolved, under the pretext that the alliance was only an electoral association. Amid the failure of elections, more PDL members demanded the resignation of president of the PDL,
Vasile Blaga Vasile Blaga (; born 26 July 1956) is a Romanian politician who was Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate, from 2011 to 2012. He also served as Minister of Regional Development and Housing and twice as Minister of Ad ...
.


Electioneering

The electioneering, initiated on November 9 and ended on December 8, was not without incidents.
Dan Diaconescu Dan Cristian Diaconescu (; born December 9, 1967 in Caracal, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a Romanian journalist, politician, presenter, the founder and owner of the former DDTV and OTV television channels. He graduated from the Faculty of M ...
, candidate from PP-DD in the same college of Chamber of Deputies in
Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu () is the capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the city: Bârsești, Drăgoieni, Iezureni, Polata, ...
with Prime Minister
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
, is investigated for electoral bribery. Authorities were notified after PSD representatives within Gorj County Council filed a complaint regarding the distribution of food and the organization of an electoral spectacle before the electioneering. According to the Emergency Ordinance issued on November 6 by Ponta Cabinet, offering food, drink and money in the campaign is illegal. The President of PDL Vrancea, Alin Trășculescu, was caught in the act by anticorruption prosecutors while receiving €50,000 from a businessman in the form of bribe. He was detained for 24 hours for allegations of lobbyism, instigation to false and incitement to the misdemeanor of money laundering. Alin Trășculescu was under the supervision of National Anticorruption Department for two years. He claimed he could get contracts with the State, from the Ministry of Development and Tourism, led then by
Elena Udrea Elena Gabriela Udrea (; born 26 December 1973) is a Romanian politician. An independent who held office while in the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and then the People's Movement Party (PMP), she was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies ...
. Eventually, Bucharest Court decided to arrest Alin Trășculescu for 29 days. In a commune from
Buzău County Buzău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km2. * Romanians – 97% * Roma ...
, USL representatives clashed with ARD sympathizers, the conflict being resolved at the arrival of local police. Two people were seriously injured and four others arrested in the altercation. On December 3, several dozens of supporters of USL, sympathizers of Victor Ponta candidate for another term as deputy in
Gorj County Gorj County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. ''Gorj'' comes from the Slavic ''Gor(no)-'' Jiu (“upper Jiu”), in contrast with Dolj (“lower Jiu”). Demographics In 2011, the county had a ...
had a confrontation which escalated into fray and fight in
Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu () is the capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the city: Bârsești, Drăgoieni, Iezureni, Polata, ...
with the supporters of Dan Diaconescu, the PPDD rival of the Prime Minister. Following clashes, a young man was injured and taken to hospital.


Protests

The political turmoil fractured Romanian society. Currently, the Romanian people are divided into two camps: anti-Băsescu and pro-Băsescu. Despite high temperatures, driven from behind by their parties or on their own, in several areas of the country, people began to leave the streets to defend their favorites or to protest their opponents. Thus, relatively peaceful protests have erupted in major cities of Romania. In Arad, protests turned violent when Băsescu's opponents and sympathizers clashed. The groups were quickly dispersed by police. None of the groups participating in action on Thursday evening has no authorization, can not specifying how protests will last. Street protests were also organized in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. About one hundred people protested on July 4 at University Square against the political class. Those present displayed messages against exploitation in
Roșia Montană Roșia Montană (, "Roșia of the Mountains"; la, Alburnus Maior; hu, Verespatak, ; german: Goldbach, Rotseifen) is a commune of Alba County in the Apuseni Mountains of western Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the Valea Roșiei, through ...
and shale gas. At Victory Square, occurred a new demonstration against the current leadership, and came, as one day ago, former Prime Minister
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu (; born 22 September 1968) is a Romanian historian, politician and former Prime Minister of Romania. He was the foreign minister of Romania from 28 December 2004 to 12 March 2007, and he was appointed as Director of the F ...
. He argued that it is normal that people to leave in the streets, criticizing USL leader Ponta and Antonescu, which he said that "have succeeded to demonstrate how it can be trampled the Constitution". Ungureanu has transmitted to demonstrators that "he awaits them Thursday", in Revolution Square, where the Liberal Democratic Party announced the organization of an anti-USL meeting. In the following days, protests were amplified, such that more than 2,000 people gathered at the meeting on Thursday evening, in University Square, in a demonstration in support of President Traian Băsescu, attended by prominent members of the PDL. From Thursday's protests were not without any incidents. Attending the pro-Băsescu meeting, Raluca Turcan went faint to the end of the meeting and another five people needed medical care after they felt sick to rally in Revolution Square. Some demonstrators in University Square were fought, Thursday evening, and were separated by gendarmes in device on-site, that raised two people from among recalcitrants. Protesters had altercations after two of them were taken by the gendarmes. In
Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...
, the two groups of protesters were nearly to confront. PDL sympathizers and supporters of the President gathered Thursday evening in the center of Timișoara to denounce what they call abusive measures taken by Ponta government in last days. Spirits were heated when in the area has appeared a group of supporters of USL, shouting slogans against the President. The dispute between the two groups, initially only verbal, risked to degenerate, so gendarmes immediately intervened to appease spirits. On July 20, USL organized largest demonstration to date in
Craiova Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...
, "a major political rally with about 20,000 people". At the manifestation attended
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
,
Valeriu Zgonea Valeriu Ștefan Zgonea (born 3 September 1967 in Craiova, Dolj County, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a Romanian politician who served as President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania between 3 July 2012 and 13 June 2016. On 18 October 2015 ...
, Olguța Vasilescu and several ministers. Olguța Vasilescu addressed to the crowd, saying that the country must get rid of "democracy's cancer, Traian Băsescu". Prime Minister Ponta also held a speech.
Rovana Plumb Rovana is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is located at the western edge of Owens Valley, north-northeast of Mount Tom, at an elevation of 5141 feet (1567 m). History Rovana was established in 1947, when the US Vanad ...
,
Titus Corlățean Titus Corlățean (; born 11 January 1968) is a Romanian politician and diplomat, former Minister of Justice and of Foreign Affairs. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), part of the Party of European Socialists, and was elected to ...
, Daniel Constantin,
Mircea Geoană Dan Mircea Geoană (; born 14 July 1958) is a Romanian politician and former ambassador who served as president of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate from 20 December 2008 until he was revoked on 23 November 2011. From 21 A ...
and Călin Popescu Tăriceanu were also present at the meeting. According to spokesman of
Dolj County Dolj County (; originally meant ''Dol(no)- Jiu'', "lower Jiu", as opposed to ''Gorj'' (''upper Jiu'')) is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova. Demographics In 2011, the cou ...
Inspectorate of Gendarmes Ionuț Savu, the meeting was attended by approximately 18,000 people, from several counties. In
Marin Sorescu Marin Sorescu (; 29 February 1936 – 8 December 1996) was a Romanian poet, playwright, and novelist. His works were translated into more than 20 countries, and the total number of his books that were published abroad rises up to 60 books. He ha ...
Theater area, traffic was blocked for several hours. Another major political rallies were organized by USL on July 17 in
Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
(5,000 participants), on July 22 in
Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
(15,000 participants), on July 24 in
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
(8,000 participants), on July 25 in
Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
(7,000 participants) and
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
(1,500 participants), on July 26 at
Romexpo Romexpo, also known as Romexpo Dome or Romexpo Town, is a large exhibition center and indoor arena in Bucharest, Romania. It is primarily used for exhibitions, concerts, and sporting events. The complex also hosts more than 140 other exhibits a ...
,
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
(50,000 participants), on July 27 in
Râmnicu Vâlcea Râmnicu Vâlcea (also spelled ''Rîmnicu Vîlcea'' or, in the past, ''Rîmnic-Vâlcea'', ) (population: 92,573 as per the 2011 Romanian census) is the county capital ( ro, Reședință de județ) and also the largest town of Vâlcea County, cent ...
(700 participants). In several cities throughout Romania were organized pro-Băsescu meetings, that few people attended:
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
(15,000 participants),
Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
(10,000 participants),
Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...
(10,000 participants), Slatina (100 participants).


August–September demonstrations


21 August

More than 200 people gathered on August 21 to protest in front of the Constitutional Court. They asked judges to validate the 29 July referendum, as suspended president Traian Băsescu to be dismissed. Moreover, in a petition on the Internet, approximately 2,000 people demanded that the meeting where CCR will decide the fate of the referendum to be broadcast live by television. Protesters chanted "Validation!" and have stirred flags and banners with different messages. People said they have not been complied with voting options and they didn't trust even the decisions of the Constitutional Court. After the Constitutional Court invalidated the referendum for dismissal of Traian Băsescu, more people, dissatisfied with the verdict, went to the presidential campaign center, where they chanted against him, one of the protesters being detained by gendarmes. On the way to University Square, protesters also stopped in front of the Supreme Court Parquetry, where several minutes chanting "Thieves". At the same time, crowd was joined by a group of several dozen people that displayed a banner that was written "Outlaws Association", some of whom being dressed in national costumes. In the evening, over 2,000 people protested in front of the National Theatre. Protesters shouted messages against CCR decision of invalidation of the referendum and asked Traian Băsescu to resign. Also, most people have come up with anti-US placards with messages, considering that Băsescu was reinstalled at Americans desire. Spirits were engirt and, at around 9:00 p.m., people breached fences and entered on the carriageway, blocking traffic. The gendarmes did not intervene, only forming a cordon to be prepared if people resort to violence. Traffic was diverted and only around midnight was resumed in the Square area, when protesters began to withdraw to their homes. Nevertheless, dozens of people continued to protest after midnight.


22 August

Gendarmes identified 106 people who blocked traffic on 21 and 22 August in University Square. Authorities say they have not protested peacefully and have disturbed public peace "by producing noise with any device or object or by shouting". Were given 50 fines between 200 and 1,000 lei those who troubled peace and other 49 people have records because they have blocked designedly the Magheru Boulevard. Likewise, 7 people have criminal records for destruction and outrage. As provided in the Constitution, Gendarmerie has no right to make criminal records. On this line, the Interior Minister Mircea Dușa commissioned an inquiry to Gendarmerie, sanctioning those who have announced the criminal records and accusing them of incompetence.


28 August

Ioan Ghișe, the PNL Senator who asked Parliament to take note that Traian Băsescu is justly dismissed, protested in front of the Cotroceni Palace against Băsescu's reinstatement. With two banners attached to the body, Senator said that it is "a symbolic gesture" and promised to come every day, "as will be fair weather". PNL Senator, Ioan Ghișe, proposed two variants of attack of invalidation of the referendum: either the Parliament to resend the Constitutional Court decision through which the referendum is considered invalid, or the Parliament to ascertain that suspended president Traian Băsescu is dismissed, but Parliament's plenary didn't approved the debate of his projects. Moreover, Senator Ghișe prepared penal complaints against the six judges of the Constitutional Court who voted to invalidate the referendum of 29 July, with the following counts: usurpation of official qualities, undermining the sovereignty of the people, abuse in office and negligence in office. "All these malfeasences are provided by the Penal Code with imprisonment", PNL Senator said.


1 September

Over 300 people gathered in front of Sector 2 City Hall booed President Traian Băsescu, when he arrived in arm with his daughter. People did care about this special moment in the life of Elena and shouted "Resignation!" or "Down with Băsescu!". Neither bridegroom's family arrival was not without incidents. Also to these people have yelled "Thieves!" and booed them. Some of the people gathered in front of Sector 2 City Hall have applauded him, the President, but after civil wedding. Some of the people who booed Băsescu's arrival say they are among those who protested against the president both at the University and at the Cotroceni Palace. Before the arrival of family Băsescu at Sector 2 City Hall, between protesters and a few sympathizers of the president a conflict broke out. The groups first had an exchange of words, whereupon two old men began to jostle. The conflict was interrupted after intervention of local police. Around 4:00 p.m., gendarmes mounted fences at the church of Saint Spiridon, where took place the religious wedding of Elena Băsescu, to avoid more civil conflicts.


18 September

Hundreds of protesters gathered, on September 18, in front of the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, where chanted anti-presidential slogans. A young man who tried to throw over the fence of the palace a roll of toilet paper was forcedly stopped by gendarmes on the ground, fact that outraged the protesters. On the same day, a Romanian climbed on the metal structure of the entry into the
Brussels-Luxembourg railway station Brussels-Luxembourg railway station (french: Gare de Bruxelles-Luxembourg, nl, Station Brussel-Luxemburg), officially Brussels-Luxembourg (french: Bruxelles-Luxembourg, link=no, nl, Brussel-Luxemburg, link=no), is a railway station in the Eu ...
, under the office windows of Euro-MPs. "He was equipped with a mouthpiece and have something to share with Barroso, Schulz, Mazzoni, mafia in Romania etc.", PDL MEP Sebastian Bodu wrote on his Facebook account. PE security officers, police and firefighters forcedly climbed him down. Afterwards, he was arrested.


1 December

More than 20,000 people attended the military parade organized with the occasion of the National Day. The event was marked by moments in which President Traian Băsescu was booed by some of the spectators. At the same event, representatives of the Romanian Gendarmerie assaulted some of the protesters that attended the parade. The chief of Bucharest Gendarmerie, Brigadier General Eugen Meran, was warned, and Major Claudiu Gogu, Head of Service within the same structure, was dismissed, following internal controls regarding the fulfillment of the mission of ensuring public order and safety, by some representatives of the Gendarmerie, with the occasion of 1 December.


Impact

Reference rate leu/
euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
announced on July 23 by the
National Bank of Romania The National Bank of Romania ( ro, Banca Națională a României, BNR) is the central bank of Romania and was established in April 1880. Its headquarters are located in the capital city of Bucharest. The National Bank of Romania is responsible ...
reached a new record high, of 4.6460 units, and the official rate for the
dollar Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, U ...
struck a new record and rose to 3.7999 lei/dollar. From July 3, when political tensions began to increase, on the interbank market leu fell by 4.2% against the
euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
, and stock prices began to exceed record after record. The rate for
Swiss franc The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...
increased from 3.8173 lei/franc to 3.8314 lei/franc, representing the maximum for the last 11 months. A higher official rate was recorded on August 12, 2011, when franc was quoted at 3.8926 lei. Politically, infighting in the summer of 2012 had deteriorated the image of Romania in the face of European leaders. After the EU officials perceived the Ponta Government acts as abuses against the legal state,
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
risks to remain at the gates of the
Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
, but mainly to run out European funds. After Tuesday, July 3, President of
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
Wilfried Martens Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (; 19 April 1936 – 9 October 2013) was a Belgian politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the Flemish Christian People's Party, during his premiership ...
warned that
Social Liberal Union The Social Liberal Union ( ro, Uniunea Social Liberală, USL) was a grand coalition of several political parties in Romania. The alliance contained two major centre-left and centre-right parties, more specifically the Social Democratic Party (PSD ...
has started a plan to undermine the state, and Wednesday German MEPs leader
Markus Ferber Markus Ferber (born 15 January 1965) is a Politics of Germany, German engineer and politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 1994. He is a member of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social U ...
said he would initiate the suspension of Romania in the European Council for "lack of minimum standards functioning the legal state", stake increased substantially when
Alain Lamassoure Alain Lamassoure (born 10 February 1944 in Pau) is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-west of France. He was a member of Les Républicains, which is part of the European People's Party, and was the chairman o ...
and
Elmar Brok Elmar Peter Brok (born 14 May 1946) is a German politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1980 until 2019, who is best known for his role as chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is a mem ...
asked the European Commission to prepare a report leading to suspension of voting rights of Romania in the European Council. The critics that the EPP leaders and officials formulated against the
Social Liberal Union The Social Liberal Union ( ro, Uniunea Social Liberală, USL) was a grand coalition of several political parties in Romania. The alliance contained two major centre-left and centre-right parties, more specifically the Social Democratic Party (PSD ...
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
, S&D leader
Hannes Swoboda Hannes Swoboda (born 10 November 1946) is an Austrian social democratic politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1996 until 2014. Within the Parliament, he represents the Social Democratic Party of Austria and from Januar ...
expressed the concern regarding the lack of concern of the EPP officials with respect to the erosion of democracy in
FIDESZ Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; hu, Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán. It was formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young ...
led
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. Alike, PSD requested to
Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a social democratic and progressive European political party. The PES comprises national-level political parties from all member states of the European Union (EU) plus Norway and the United Kingdom ...
the postponement or relocation to Brussels of PES Congress, as this event to be not "shadowed" by political infighting, and Brussels transfer decision will be officially announced next days, declared on August 30, Hannes Swoboda, S&D leader in the European Parliament.


Reactions


Domestic

Radu Zlati, former adviser to the interim president
Crin Antonescu George Crin Laurențiu Antonescu (; born 21 September 1959) is a Romanian politician, who was President of the National Liberal Party (PNL) from 2009 to 2014. He also served as the country Acting President after the impeachment of Traian Băsesc ...
, recognizes that the PNL leader has problems within his own party. In a post on his blog, Zlati says that in the National Liberal Party coalesces a movement that aims to Antonescu's removal from office. He argues, however, that a possible coup will fail. In press favorable to Traian Băsescu was launched, on September 5, the assumption of tensions in the USL. The strategy is to demobilize USL and confuse the electorate. Using the pretext of a declaration of "dissident"
Ludovic Orban Ludovic Orban (; born 25 May 1963) is a Romanian engineer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from November 2019 to December 2020. He was president of the National Liberal Party (Romania), National Liberal Party (PNL) betw ...
, the manipulative tentative culminated with breaking news headlines about "USL breakage". Reactions and statements of European leaders regarding Traian Băsescu's reinstatement irritated Băsescu's detractors. PNL Vice-President
Relu Fenechiu Relu Fenechiu (born July 3, 1965) is a Romanian businessman and former politician. A former member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Iași County from 2004 to 2014. In the Victor Ponta cab ...
considered that in the test of Băsescu's dismissal Romanians confronted with the U.S., Germany and the European Commission. Crin Antonescu, USL Co-President, said he disagrees with Victor Ponta's position to consider well-balanced the EC attitude as against Romania, but he understands these statements as attempts to reduce Brussels' hostility. "I'm disappointed in Barroso's lack of shade to take account of what Romanians expressed by vote. It was not a well-balanced attitude. It was an obvious and assumed political bias. Barroso congratulated himself for action from Romania, that was a political gesture against millions of Romanians", Antonescu said in a TV show. In a letter to the
President of the European Parliament President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
,
Martin Schulz Martin Schulz (born 20 December 1955) is a German politician who served as Leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2017 to 2018, and was a Member of the Bundestag (MdB) from 2017 to 2021. Previously he was President of the European Parliame ...
, with the occasion of debates organized by the EP on the political situation in Romania, former President of Romania,
Emil Constantinescu Emil Constantinescu () (born 19 November 1939) is a Romanian professor and politician, who served as the President of Romania, from 1996 to 2000. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Constantinescu became a founding member and vice president ...
, claims that in the last two months Romania "was subjected to unacceptable pressures for a member of EU, pressures coming from the European Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding and President of the European Commission
José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and university teacher, currently serving as non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International. He previously served as the 11th president of the European Commi ...
". "Pressures on the Romanian Parliament, the Government and Interim President, who acted within the letter and spirit of the Constitution of Romania, have no justification in any article of the European Constitution and other regulations is an abuse that creates an extremely dangerous precedent for violation of an EU Member State sovereignty. These pressures have been made based on charges unrelated to reality and are contradicted by any fair and impartial analysis of the events and documents. Now, when the process of suspension of the President and the referendum for his dismissal ended with the return in office, in the conditions imposed by EU, we can consider as a case study", he appreciates. Emil Constantinescu also says in the letter that "what Commissioner for Justice and European Commission President ignores is that the current mandate of the President of Romania is illegitimate". Liberal superintendent of the Senate, Ioan Ghișe, announced, on September 13, in a press conference, that he submitted, at the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, criminal complaints against President Traian Băsescu and six of the judges of the Constitutional Court. In the complaint against Traian Băsescu, PNL Senator explains that President may be accused of usurpation of official qualities and of propaganda in favor of the totalitarian state. On September 16, Democratic Liberal Party, Civic Force Party and Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party signed the protocol
Right Romania Alliance The Right Romania Alliance ( ro, Alianţa România Dreaptă, ARD, also translating to "Just Romania Alliance") was a Romanian electoral alliance formed between the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL), the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Part ...
. The Alliance is founded on Justice and Truth alliance model and is initially composed of three co-presidents:
Vasile Blaga Vasile Blaga (; born 26 July 1956) is a Romanian politician who was Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate, from 2011 to 2012. He also served as Minister of Regional Development and Housing and twice as Minister of Ad ...
(DLP),
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu (; born 22 September 1968) is a Romanian historian, politician and former Prime Minister of Romania. He was the foreign minister of Romania from 28 December 2004 to 12 March 2007, and he was appointed as Director of the F ...
(Civic Force) and
Aurelian Pavelescu Aurelian Pavelescu (born October 20, 1964 in Lădești, Vâlcea County, Romania) is a Romanian politician. He has been serving as the president of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚCD) since 2011 onwards. See also * Poli ...
(CDNPP). Originally, in the Alliance also ranged the New Republic Party led by
Mihail Neamțu Mihail Neamțu (), born 1978, is a Romanian conservative politician. He received a PhD in theology from King's College London and has written several books on politics, religion, and culture. Life and career Family and political awakenings Bor ...
, but, due to an appeal to the court, was temporarily waived its hiring.


International

* Secretary General of the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
,
Thorbjørn Jagland Thorbjørn Jagland (born Thorbjørn Johansen; , 5 November 1950) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He served as the secretary general of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019. He served as the 32nd prime minister of Norway from ...
, said he was concerned by recent developments in Romania, especially those related to president's suspension, and asked the Venice Commission to examine whether these actions are compatible with state of law and with
democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
."Council of Europe asked the Venice Commission opinion on president Traian Băsescu's suspension"
''Mediafax.ro'' Likewise, Thorbjørn Jagland demanded an investigation of the situation. :The President of the
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
,
Graham Watson Sir Graham Robert Watson (born 23 March 1956) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England from 1994 to 2014. Watson was the chairman of the Parliament's committee on ci ...
, alleged that Băsescu's mandate is "illegal" and showed that the best solution for Romania would be the organization of new parliamentary and presidential elections. Watson wanted to ask the European Commission why insists as in Romania to apply the quorum rule at presidential impeachment referendum, whereas in all EU countries the president is dismissed with 50% plus one of those who come to vote. * U.S. State Department expressed concern over recent events in Romania, specifying that all these "threaten the democratic balance of powers and weaken independent institutions as justice". On August 12, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip H. Gordon traveled to
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, where he met with senior government officials to discuss the concerns the United States has regarding recent government actions that threaten democratic checks and balances and weaken independent institutions. Assistant Secretary Gordon also met with members of civil society and the business community to discuss how their work plays a role in strengthening the democratic values and principles that unite the transatlantic community. * On July 9, Traian Băsescu had a conversation with
Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...
, Federal Chancellor of Germany. The discussion took place on the phone, and, finally, Federal Government spokesman,
Steffen Seibert Steffen Rüdiger Seibert (born 7 June 1960 in Munich) is a German journalist who served as head of the German Federal Government's Press and Information Office and as the German government's spokesperson from 2010 to 2021. During his tenure, Seib ...
, announced on the website of Chancellery the following: "Federal Chancellor AM today held a comprehensive telephone conversation with Romanian President Traian Băsescu. In the center of conversation it was located the current internal political developments in Romania. President Traian Băsescu exposures confirms the federal government's concerns. Federal Chancellor considers unacceptable if one EU country violates the basic principles of state of law. The European Union is based on common values: all governments are obliged to comply with them; this applies to the Romanian government. Federal Chancellor emphasizes that supports the EU regarding any necessary consequences. They might materialize after talks scheduled to have Prime Minister Victor Ponta this week in Brussels". :In Germany, "the federal government has significant doubts about the legitimacy of measures taken by the Government of Ponta", said Steffen Seibert, spokesman for German government, that "warned that developments in Romania will not be overlooked in the analysis of problem of accession (...) of the country to
Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
and in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism". :Mario Kreuter from Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in
Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
declared for
Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...
: "Băsescu is everything else, but not a good democrat. He is at least as corrupt as those who say he fights. But, Băsescu's suspension is another threat to the state of law in Romania. I really do not feel sorry for someone, but how to do this is really worrying." :On July 9, German newspaper of wide circulation "
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...
" published the article ''So sprechen Putschisten'' (
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
: ''Așa vorbesc numai puciștii'',
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: ''Thus speak only coups'') about these events. * "Romanian Parliament voted Friday in favor of the suspension of center-right President Traian Băsescu, in a political crisis that gives rise to concern that democracy in Romania would be exposed to threats", annotated France-Presse. The same press agency wrote that president Băsescu has rejected USL accusations and warned about "risks for «stability and reputation of the country»" brought by this decision. * "It is important for Romania to take into account its Constitution and laws" said Christophe Kamp, spokesman of the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, in a message sent to the French agency AFP. He added that the Netherlands is closely monitoring the situation. * In an interview granted to ''Spiegel Online'',
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (french: Ministère des Affaires étrangères, MAE) is a ministry of the government of Luxembourg, headquartered in the ''Bâtiment Mansfeld'' in Luxembourg City. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is named James Need ...
, the Socialist
Jean Asselborn Jean Asselborn (; born 27 April 1949) is a Luxembourgish politician who has served in the government of Luxembourg as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2004. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2004 to 2013, under Prime Minister Jean-Cl ...
, said that in Romania take place "serious violations of principles of European law which are unacceptable". *
Hannes Swoboda Hannes Swoboda (born 10 November 1946) is an Austrian social democratic politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1996 until 2014. Within the Parliament, he represents the Social Democratic Party of Austria and from Januar ...
, leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament, urged the Romanian politicians, in a message posted on Twitter, "to accept" the Constitutional Court decision of invalidation of the referendum on Băsescu's dismissal. "There was a decision by the people of Romania against Băsescu but legally it was not valid. We must accept that", Hannes Swoboda wrote on Twitter. * "The Jerusalem Post" noted that appointment as Minister of Dan Șova, who claimed that "no Jew hadn't suffered in Romania" during the Second World War irritated the Jewish community in Romania. * "An unscrupulous political act", "fulminant implementation of authoritarianism", "forced vote" are the terms in which
Wilfried Martens Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (; 19 April 1936 – 9 October 2013) was a Belgian politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the Flemish Christian People's Party, during his premiership ...
, President of the European People's Party, describes the procedure whereby the Romanian president was suspended. From EPP parts the
Liberal Democratic Party (Romania) The Liberal Democratic Party ( ro, Partidul Liberal Democrat, PLD) was a political party in Romania, formed in December 2006 as a breakaway/splinter group from the National Liberal Party (PNL). The Liberal Democratic Party was headed by Theodor ...
. EPP leader in the European Parliament,
Joseph Daul Joseph Alexander Daul (born 13 April 1947) is a French politician who served as President of the European People's Party (EPP) from 2013 to 2019. He previously served as Leader of the EPP Group in the European Parliament from 2007 to 2014 and a ...
, was even more vehement: "Removing the first three people in the state, Presidents of the two Chambers of Parliament and President, in just four days, by infringement of Parliament regulations, laws and Constitution, can be considered coup d'etat". *
President of Lithuania The President of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas) is the head of state of Lithuania. The officeholder has been Gitanas Nausėda since 12 July 2019. Powers The president has somewhat more executive authority tha ...
,
Dalia Grybauskaitė Dalia Grybauskaitė (; born 1 March 1956) is a Lithuanian politician who served as the eighth President of Lithuania from 2009 until 2019. She is the first woman to hold the position and in 2014 she became the first President of Lithuania to be ...
, appealed to Romanian politicians in a press conference at Cotroceni Palace, on September 12, to act "mature and responsible", adding that political turmoil and change in six months of three prime ministers have altered the absorption of EU funds in Romania. "And this is a warning: if you will not be able to mature, to politically behave responsible, then the encumbrance will be on the shoulders of the people. You may not have sufficient financial resources from the EU, the Schengen area won't be open to you. And this will be the failure of all political parties", Dalia Grybauskaitė said. * The
Venice Commission The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...
representatives expressed a suspicion regarding the constitutional method of implementation of change of presidents of the Chambers and initiation of suspension and dismissal referendum in a short time. * "Courts partisanship is a systemic problem, compounded by a high degree of corruption of the Romanian Government" said the Russian Foreign Minister,
Sergey Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004. ...
, in a report on the situation of human rights in the European Union."Russian Foreign Ministry criticizes Romania: The Romanian government has a high degree of corruption"
''Cotidianul.ro''


References

{{Victor Ponta 2012–2015 unrest in Romania 2012 in Romania
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
History of Bucharest History of Romania (1989–present) Political history of Romania Protests in Romania
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
Riots and civil disorder in Romania
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...