* Leftist government trying to impeach president
* PM Ponta under EU fire, accused of undermining rule of law
* Referendum on impeachment July 29
By Sam Cage
BUCHAREST, July 21 (Reuters) – Suspended Romanian President
Traian Basescu rallied his supporters on Saturday before a
referendum on his impeachment next week, urging Romanians to
vote and defeat what he called the government’s “coup d’etat”.
Parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s
leftist Social Liberal Union (USL), suspended the rightist
Basescu earlier this month, saying he had overstepped his
powers. A referendum on July 29 will decide whether he should be
removed permanently.
The government bowed to European Union demands this week and
said it would respect a court ruling that turnout must be more
than half for the referendum to be valid, a threshold which
gives Basescu a better chance of surviving in office.
The government’s decision to respect the court ruling has
prompted suggestions that Basescu’s supporters could keep him in
office by simply staying away from the polls.
Their abstention would probably mean a large majority in
favour of impeachment but turnout – usually about 50 percent in
Romanian elections – would be too low for the result to be
valid.
But Basescu called on Romanians to go to the polls to defeat
the impeachment drive.
“I want everyone to vote on the 29th. There are a lot of
people who say don’t vote, don’t legitimise the coup d’etat. I
could agree with them, but only up to a point,” Basescu told
thousands of supporters at a rally in scorching heat in the
northeastern city of Iasi.
“More than ever, Romania now needs to see that a force
exists that puts an end to Ponta and Antonescu’s abuses and coup
d’etat. This force is none other than the Romanian people,” said
a confident Basescu.
Ponta and his USL ally Crin Antonescu, who is acting
president during Basescu’s suspension, have been harshly
criticised by the European Union for pushing through a series of
measures aimed at restricting Basescu’s power.
Brussels says the measures have undermined the rule of law.
Ponta’s government joined forces with parliament earlier
this month to suspend Basescu, a conservative.
Opinion polls show most Romanians support permanently
removing Basescu from office due to his association with
austerity measures and a perception of corruption among his
political allies.
The political turmoil has raised doubts about the future of
an International Monetary Fund-led aid deal, sending the leu
currency to record lows in a country already weathering a
recession.
The president is in charge of foreign policy and the
powerful secret services, which are a sensitive topic in a
country still scarred by the communist dictatorship of Nicolae
Ceausescu and his dreaded Securitate. The president also
nominates the prime minister.
The EU’s criticism of the government over the impeachment
effort followed a similar row with fellow EU member Hungary,
where political analysts say Prime Minister Viktor Orban has
pushed the limits of EU standards to consolidate power.
(Editing by Roger Atwood)
