UPDATE President Iohannis says all participants embrace referendum idea after first day of consultations

President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday at the end of the first day of consultations with parliamentary parties that all those who participated in the talks embraced the idea of holding a referendum. "I received this afternoon delegations from the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR), People's Movement Party (PMP), the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) and a delegation of minority MPs. We evidently talked about the situation in the judiciary. All in attendance today said they are worried about the latest developments in the justice area. I told them directly that, in my opinion, this attack by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) against justice, an assault that has been going on for more than two years, should get a response from the Romanians, and the response is obviously a referendum. All the participants this afternoon embraced the idea of holding a referendum; they all agreed that people should be encouraged to participate in this referendum. I am glad of that," Iohannis said at Cotroceni Palace. He mentioned that he sent a letter of consultation to Parliament and is waiting for a reply within the legal deadline. "I think that Romanians have the right to respond to this PSD assault on justice and believe that whatever the political options of a Romanian who has the right to go to vote, all of them want, all of us want a Romania with independent judiciary, fair justice that is removed from the influence of politics. I also spoke to those who came to Cotroceni about topics that we submitted to Parliament. Everybody agreed that they are current issues in the Romanian judiciary (...) immediately after I receive a reply from Parliament, I will draw up the questions for the referendum," the president said. AGERPRES (RO - author: Dana Piciu, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)

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