Anti-government rallies continue in Romania
Thousands of Romanians have continued to stage protests across the country against alleged corruption by the ruling Social Democrat (PSD) government.
Protests took place in the streets of major provincial cities and in the capital, Bucharest, for a second day late on Saturday and into the first hours of Sunday.
About 40,000 people gathered in front of government offices in the capital on Saturday evening — fewer than the 100,000 the previous night — shouting “Resignation! Resignation!” and demanding the resignation of the government.
The protesters blew vuvuzelas while waving Romanian and European Union (EU) flags.
Riot police deployed to the demonstrations used tear gas and water cannon to bring the angry protesters under control.
Protests have been staged over low wages, allegedly widespread corruption, and attempts by the ruling party to influence the country’s judiciary.
More than 400 protesters were injured in clashes with police in an earlier rally on Friday.
Protesters also gathered in the Transylvanian cities of Cluj, Sibiu, and Brasov, in Timisoara, on the border with Serbia, and in the eastern city of Iasi.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis later condemned police action in a Facebook statement, saying, “I firmly condemn riot police’s brutal intervention, strongly disproportionate to the actions of the majority of people.”
Despite hailing from another party, President Iohannis is also seen as implicated in alleged corruption because in July, he yielded to pressure from the PSD government to dismiss an anti-corruption judge.
Rallies have repeatedly been held since the PSD gained power in elections in early 2017.
Protesters allege that the PSD is pressuring the judiciary to decriminalize several graft offenses.
PSD’s chief and the country’s parliament speaker, Liviu Dragnea, has been defiant.
“I want to assure all Romanians that parliament will not allow anybody to dissolve democracy, suspend individual rights and freedoms, change the outcome of the elections and overthrow order in the Romanian state through violence,” he said.
Dragnea was himself sentenced to three and a half years in prison by the Supreme Court in June for incitement to abuse of office, a ruling which is not final, pending an appeal.
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