Some 5,000 people demanded the resignation of the Romanian government and chanted “PSD, Red Plague”, “Thieves!” and “Resignation!” in Victorei Square in Central Bucharest accusing the PSD-ALDE coalition of trammeling democratic standards in Romania.
“Since taking over the government, the PSD-ALDE coalition has not respected its promises made in the electoral campaign, but it has had two priorities: to save prisoners with criminal files and to establish in Romania a regime in which democracy is being crushed by the force of political institutions. The methods and actions of the PSD-ALDE have the effect of removing Romania from European and democratic standards and throwing it into the league of autocratic regimes in which the interests and good will of those who have access to political buttons the company lacks the chance to punish their slippages,” wrote the protest’s organisers on the the event’s Facebook page.
Hundreds of protester’s also too to the streets in about a dozen other towns and cities as well as outside Romanian embassies in other EU countries.
The organisers of the protest list PSD-ALDE’s “antidemocratic actions”, such as amending the Penal Codes, changing the leadership of the Public Ministry and National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), abusive fines by the police, changing laws without public consultation, restricting people’s rights by amending the Constitution’s definition of family and denigrating European institutions.
President Klaus Iohannis sent a message to protesters, stating that he believed “people are in the street because they are discontent (…) Civic attitude is important because it brings these government people back to earth”
Earlier this month President Klaus, who is a harsh critic of the ruling coalition’s policies, refused to sign into the law the government’s judicial reform package, referring them instead to the Constitutional Court and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. Klaus said that the proposed laws “fail to meet European standards” and threaten the independence of the courts.
