- Join the France 24 community here
- Log in
Latest update: 21/08/2012
- impeachment - Romania
Trian Basescu reinstated as Romania's president
Romania's President Trian Basescu looks set to make a dramatic return to power after the country's constitutional court ruled on Tuesday that a referendum to impeach him was invalid because turnout failed to reach the required 50 per cent.
AFP - Romania's Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday that a referendum to impeach the country's president was invalid, leaving Trian Basescu in power, the Mediafax news agency reported.
Romania's ruling centre-left coalition USL headed by Prime Minister Victor Ponta last month launched a move to impeach centre-right rival Basescu, which led to a referendum that failed as voter turnout fell short of the required 50 percent threshold.
The judges' decision was adopted with a majority vote of six to three, Mediafax said.
The court has not yet issued an official statement.
In the referendum an overwhelming majority of voters - 87 percent -supported ousting Basescu, so the USL contested the electoral rolls after the ballot, forcing the top court to rule on its validity.
On Monday, Ponta's government sent the court new voters' numbers, hoping this would overturn the result.
Basescu, who has been suspended from the presidency, is now expected to return to his office to see out his second five-year term which started in 2009.



























React to the article
(5) Reactions
The "dear" pirate is back
Dear "citizen of the world", Charles Smyth, what do you now about Romania? Clearly, that it is the country of Dracula, but beyond that......!!!!! Not too much, I am sure. How can you call V.Ponta a "tyrant" if he became PM three months ago.How? He has just had no time to, yet, to prove whether he is or not a trustworthy leader,respective PM.On the other side Traian Basescu has been a Romanian President for eight years now. During this period we, all, have realized that he is no more no less than an "enfant" dictator. We don't want to let him grow up, we had enough of him until now. And apropos, Traian Basescu and Victor Orban are in the same boat, 100%, trust me. I would grateful to you if you reconsidered your position about your sense of " tyrants" Who are and who are not! How it appears to stay things to you, right now, you have got something upside down. Under Traian Basescu's rule it can't be democracy, but "DEMO...CRAZY"
Dracula
In the country of Dracula,Dracula himself has just returned.Wow! No!....no!It is not Dracula; it is worse! It is the father of Dracula, Traian Basescu
Get your facts right!
The president name is Traian Basescu and not Trian Basescu. I wonder what kind of news editor is the person who can't even make a simple google search.
The "dear" pirate is back
Today, is one of darkness days in Romanian history. The day when a politicized Constitutional Court decided against all evidence, against its own laws, and ultimately against the Romanian people that Basescu still deserve to be our President. Almost 7.5 million Romanians (86%) voted Basescu out, but someone else wanted him back. Thanks you Mr.Barroso, Mrs. Angela Merkel, Mrs. Hillary Clinton for your unconditioned support for Basescu, a clear wannabe dictator. By your support for him you humiliated an entire nation.It will not be easily for us to forget that, quite the contrary. We are not your colony to impose your "protegee" over us, we are not a "banana" state to dictate us who we should have as a President. Gone are the days when we would defend US and EU until the end, doesn't matter what it could be. Paraphrasing Voltaire I could say: democracy yes, but not for little dogs.Basescu is back, but gone are : democracy, trust, truth, hope; what remained doesn't deserve the paper to write down on. Thanks you all again for this and I wish you that millions and millions of Romanians to come to your countries like the locusts to the maize field. Enjoy it!
Sense prevails.
Good to see Brussels doing its job, so that democracy in Romania is not subverted to tyrants like Victor Ponta et al. Viktor Orban should take time to reflect on this. And Hungary's opposition, should take heart.