Romania's acting president signs bill, making impeachment of suspended president easier

Romania's Constitutional Court said on Saturday that the amendment to the country's referendum law signed by acting President Nicolae Vacaroiu can be applied to the May 19 referendum on the impeachment of suspended President Traian Basescu.

The amendment, published Saturday on the official gazette, makes it easier to impeach Basescu, who is temporarily out of office after lawmakers endorsed a move to suspend him last month.

Current laws require more than half of Romanians to cast dissenting votes to dethrone a president, which has a slim chance to happen. The amendment lowers the threshold to only a majority of voters.

Romania's Constitutional Court approved on Thursday the amendment proposed by the opposition to reduce the number of voters needed to impeach the president. But it did not elaborate on whether the amendment is applicable to the May 19 referendum, thus causing disputes among Basescu supporters and opponents.

To clarify the issue, the Constitutional Court emphasized on Saturday that the amendment will come into force three days after its publication on the official gazette.

The parliament approved an impeachment proposal against Basescu by a vote of 322 to 108 with 10 abstentions, paving the way for the legislature to organize a referendum within 30 days on his fate.

Opposition lawmakers accused Basescu of violating 19 constitutional items, including usurping the cabinet, criticizing judges and ordering the tapping of ministers' telephones.

If the referendum favors the removal of Basescu, the government must organize, according to the constitution, elections within three months to elect a new president.

Source: Xinhua