Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on January 23 he will start procedures to organise a referendum on the government’s plans to pardon some sentences and amend the Criminal Code so that some offences are decriminalised.

Romanian president announces plans for referendum on pardons

The announcement comes just a day after Iohannis attended a massive rally in Bucharest against the government’s plans to amend criminal legislation through two emergency ordinances. The ordinances have been criticised by the general prosecutor and the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), as well as by the president, as they seem tailored to help some politicians, including the leader of the ruling Social Democratic Pary (PSD), Liviu Dragnea, evade justice. Many Romanians fear they will undermine the fight against corruption.

“Why did the people go out? It is very easy: PSD and its satellite ALDE [the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats] promised welfare to Romanians, they promised they will solve Romania’s problems, they promised economic growth, higher salaries and pensions. People voted for them in good faith. But when they came to government, they started to do something totally different. They started to change the criminal legislation in order to clean their files, those of their party colleagues, of those who supported them in the campaign probably,” Iohannis said.

He added that he will start procedures for a referendum so that Romanians will be able to say if they agree with the government’s plans, as they were not on PSD’s manifesto presented before the elections.

Iohannis’s announcement, as well as his participation in the rally on January 22, is likely to win him back some of the popularity he has lost in recent years. Iohannis unexpectedly won the presidential elections in November 2014 after a scandal hit his opponent, former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, whose party was blamed for not organising enough polling stations abroad. However, the enthusiasm for Iohannis later started to fade and he has been criticised for his lack of activity.

One of the main risks Iohannis could face in organising the referendum is low turnout. According to Romanian legislation, the referendum is valid if at least 30% of the people registered on the electoral lists participate in it and its result is validated only if the valid cast votes represent 25% of those registered in the electoral lists.

Intellinews