Romania’s opposition Democratic Liberals urged voters who support suspended President Traian Basescu to boycott a referendum on July 29 to help win his reinstatement by invalidating the impeachment vote. The opposition said voters should stay away from the polling stations because the ruling coalition won’t meet the same organizational standards as in the 2009 presidential election, increasing the possibility for electoral fraud, Democrat Liberal leader Vasile Blaga told reporters in Bucharest today. The ruling Social Liberal Union don’t understand that they “should set up the vote under the same conditions as in 2009, when we also had surveillance cameras, so we ask citizens to stay away from this masquerade” Blaga said.
Romania changed governments twice this year. Premier Victor Ponta and interim president Crin Antonescu want to oust Basescu amid a power struggle that weakened the country’s currency to an all-time low today. The impeachment vote requires a minimum turnout of about 9.1 million of the country’s 18.3 million eligible voters, according to a Constitutional Court ruling. A lower turnout during the summer holidays may give the president a chance to keep his job.
Full Article: Romanian Opposition Urges Voters to Boycott Impeachment Ballot – Businessweek.
