Romanians overwhelmingly rejected an attempt to impeach the
country's reform-minded president, an official said Sunday, with
near-complete referendum results showing about three-fourths of
voters backing the embattled leader.
Romanians were asked on Saturday whether they supported a motion
to impeach President Traian Basescu after Parliament suspended him
last month, accusing him of abuse of power - an allegation he
denies.
With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted, 74.3 percent
of voters said "no," while 24.9 percent support impeachment,
Central Electoral Commission head Dumitru Gheorghe said. Turnout
was just under 44 percent, he said.
The results mean Basescu - locked for months in a political
standoff with the prime minister and lawmakers over his aggressive
attempts at reform - can return to office once the results are
validated.
Basescu, celebrating his victory, said the referendum showed
that the public backs his push to enact change in the new EU
nation.
"Romanians want justice, and we have an obligation to give them
what they want," he said on Saturday. "I appeal to parliament to
cooperate in taking into account today's vote."
Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, a one-time ally who has
publicly clashed with Basescu in recent weeks, said he would work
with Basescu, saying Romanians had given Basescu "a second
chance."
"I respect this decision, and will act in a spirit of
collaboration with the president," he said.
In Brussels, which had watched the unfolding political crisis
nervously, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
congratulated Basescu and urged the new EU member to put the
political infighting behind it.
"I hope that this outcome will contribute to allow Romania, as a
full member of the European Union, to move forward with the reforms
that are needed, especially in the areas of judicial reform and the
fight against corruption," he said Sunday in a statement.
"To achieve these reforms, Romania needs a stable political and
legal framework with all political actors working together to
achieve the growth and social development of Romania," he said.
Basescu, then head of the Democratic Party, came to power in a
December 2004 election, defeating then-Prime Minister Adrian
Nastase.
(China Daily via agencies May 21, 2007)
