Romanian President Wants Referendum Result Turned Into Law
President Klaus Iohannis has called on all political parties in Romania to unite to turn the recent referendum on justice issues into legislation.
He said a proposed agreement following the first round of consultations on the referendum results would be sent "immediately" to all the political parties.
The President, who is supported by center-right parties, and is immersed in political strife with the Social Democrat-led government, said he expected a unanimous "positive response" within days.
The legal changes demanded by Iohannis include banning amnesties and political pardons for politicians with corruption convictions, as well as a ban on the use of executive decrees to alter the justice system.
These measures were proposed in last month's referendum, called by Iohannis to halt the controversial reform of the justice system pushed by the government through decrees that bypassed parliament.
Some 41 per cent of the electorate took part in the referendum, an unexpectedly high turnout, and 11 points above the threshold of 30 per sent set for the results to be deemed valid.
Of almost 8 million Romanians who went to the polls, more than 6.5 million backed the two measures.
Iohannis on Tuesday said the results "show that Romanians haven't strictly voted only for the two questions" contained in the referendum.
"Romanians have voted clear and firmly against the anti-European approach promoted in the [referendum] campaign" by the Social Democrats and their liberal minority allies in government, he maintained.
He also said that the national agreement he seeks should work to "consolidate Romania's European path".
As well as "transforming into law" the proposals of the referendum, Iohannis has said he wants the...
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