Romania rocked by protests over new graft law

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: CBC

Amid growing criticism of Romania from abroad, the country's president said Thursday he will ask judges to declare unconstitutional an emergency government decree that dilutes what qualifies as corruption.

Huge protests erupted in the capital and spread to cities around Romania in the past two nights after the government changed the law — one of the biggest protests in Romania since communism ended in 1989.

President Klaus Iohannis said he will take the decree to the Constitutional Court, the last legal resort to stop the law by the ruling centre-left Social Democrats.

The government passed the ordinance early Wednesday to decriminalize cases of official misconduct if the funds involved are less than 200,000 lei (about $62,000 Cdn). Critics say the measure helps government allies and other officials facing corruption charges and will encourage officials to steal on the job.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/romania-corruption-protests-1.3963267

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[Eugene]

1. Romanian PM to 'press ahead' with corruption decrees as protests grow

Source: The Guardian

Romanian PM to 'press ahead' with corruption decrees as protests grow

Sorin Grindeanu refuses to repeal decree despite biggest popular
protests since fall of communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu

Kit Gillet in Bucharest and Jon Henley
Thursday 2 February 2017 17.02 GMT

Romania’s prime minister has refused to repeal decrees that critics say will free corrupt officials from jail early and shield others from conviction, despite international condemnation and the biggest popular protests since the fall of communism.

“We took a decision in the government and we are going to press ahead,” Sorin Grindeanu said after a meeting of his ruling leftwing Social Democrats (PSD). The party leader, Liviu Dragnea, blamed an “ongoing campaign of lies and disinformation” for opposition to the decrees.

“The PSD won elections (in December) with a huge vote. The government’s power is legitimate,” Dragnea said, labelling the centre-right president, Klaus Iohannis, the “moral author of last night’s violence”.

Iohannis has threatened to take the ordinance to the constitutional court, the last legal resort to stop the emergency decrees passing into law. He said on Thursday he was “impressed” by the protests, adding that Romanians had “clearly what they want: the rule of law”.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/02/romanians-clash-with-police-in-biggest-protests-since-fall-of-communism

[mpcamb]

2. ...so the first $62,000 would be free to public officials.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Romania to withdraw corruption decree after mass protests

The Romanian government says it will withdraw a controversial decree that would have decriminalised some corruption offences.

Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu said it would be repealed on Sunday.

"I do not want to divide Romania. It can't be divided in two," Mr Grindeanu said in a televised statement.

Tens of thousands of flag-waving protesters in central Bucharest cheered his announcement, which came after five consecutive days of demonstrations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38868736