Bucharest Under Pressure to Respect Judicial Independence ...

Philip Gordon, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, is going to Romania on Monday to discuss concerns the US has regarding recent government actions that threaten to erode the democratic system of checks and balances and weaken independent institutions.

Gordon will meet with top political officials and also with members of the civil society and the business community to discuss ?how their work plays a role in strengthening the democratic values? in Romania, according to a press release.?

?The visit of the US official is a clear sign that the international community is worried about the current political situation in Romania.? Delays in validating a referendum on impeaching the country?s president and following political pressure is a matter of concern for the US and EU alike,? journalist Ioana Lupu said.

On Friday, the European Union warned Romania?s center-left government not to put pressure on the country?s Constitutional Court as it prepares to rule on the validity of a July 29 referendum.

?The European Commission is concerned about the allegations of pressure and intimidation of judges of the Constitutional Court, which have been brought to our attention," the head of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso wrote in a letter to the Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta. ?The government has to transmit the relevant electoral lists so that the court may issue its final decision on the referendum as soon as possible."

On Saturday, the Romanian cabinet dismissed the concerns and said that Brussels was misinformed about the country's impeachment process. "It is obvious that the European Commission has incomplete information about the issue," the government said in a press release.

For several months, Romania endured harsh political disputes following a referendum on the impeachment of President Traian Basescu.

In the referendum held on July 29, the majority of the voters ?were in favour of impeaching the president, however, the turnout was only at 46 percent, which is below the 50 percent threshold needed for the result to be validated by the Constitutional Court.

The leftist ruling coalition challenged the result and argued that the lists of eligible voters were not updated.? The government asked mayors to "update" their electoral lists, which many analysts viewed as a method to boost voter turnout in an attempt to achieve the required 50 percent threshold.

The Constitutional Court will determine the validity of the referendum on August 31.?

Traian Basescu was Romania?s most popular politicians for a decade, but lost support over widely disliked health reforms and austerity measures that were introduced by his government.? His impeachment has divided the country, with supporters and opponents spending hours engaged in bitter verbal battles in public spaces, on the Internet and on television.?

The ruling coalition has accused Basescu of blocking government reforms, of abusing his position to grant favours to his allies and of interfering in the judicial system.?

Basescu says his adversaries are seeking revenge for the conviction of former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase on corruption charges.? Nastase was a senior member of governing coalition. ?Basescu also accused the government of attempting a ?coup d?etat? not just against him, but also against the judicial branch.

Traian Basescu was suspended in 2007 for one month, but returned to power following a popular referendum.

Source: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bucharest-under-pressure-to-respect-judges-independence

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