Brussels, 09/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - Romania began preparations on Saturday 7 July for a referendum on removing President Traian Basescu from office, after the procedure was adopted by the parliament. The referendum will take place on 29 July, AFP reports, with Romanians being asked whether they wish Basescu to remain the president of the country or not. The principle of removal from power, provided for in the country's constitution, is not under challenge but a number of NGOs are concerned at a series of measures taken by the Centre-Left coalition of Prime Minister Victor Ponta and the sudden removal of the Centre-Right president. Within the space of a few days, the speakers of the two houses of the parliament have been removed, the ombudsman has been replaced, the constitutional court has had its powers reduced and judges have been criticised. The conditions of the referendum on removing the president were amended at short notice, on the eve of the vote.
On Friday, the European Commission responded to this succession of events, calling on Romania to maintain the rule of law and the full independence of the judiciary, and going as far as to suggest that it may have included these recent events and its concerns in its forthcoming report on the rule of law in the country which forms part of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).
On Saturday 7 July, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland also expressed his deep concern at the turn of events in Romania and, in particular, the attacks of several key democratic institutions. He also asked the Council of Europe's commission for democracy through law (also known as the Venice Commission) to determine whether the recent actions of the Romanian government and parliament are in line with European standards.
“The steps taken by the Romanian government under Prime Minister Ponta in terms of an impeachment procedure against President Basescu are unacceptable”, said Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for the German government, on Monday 9 July. Seibert said in a press release that, during Chancellor Angela Merkel's “detailed” telephone conversation with her Romanian opposite number, “the concerns of the federal government were confirmed”. He added that the chancellor had made clear “her support for the European Union if it decides to draw the necessary conclusions” of the ousting of Basescu, indicating that measures could be taken after scheduled talks with Ponta in Brussels this week. “The suspension of Basescu on Friday and the initiation of a referendum took place in such a way that they violated the basic principles of the rule of law and, above all, respect for constitutional institutions”, Seibert told the press. (SP/transl.rt)