Hundreds of demonstrated rallied Friday evening to protest against a protracted political crisis calling the president “a traitor” and accusing judges of meddling in politics to make the situation worse.
Headlined “We need to defend democracy!”, people gathered in Victory Square Friday evening.
Most of the anger was directed at President Nicușor Dan, the Romania’s justice system and its chief magistrate, Lia Savonea.
“When the whole system is fighting hard not to change anything, it’s time to take to the streets again. When justice is a good for some and a plague for others, citizens demand justice,”organizers said.
“When the institutions act as if they’ve received the order from higher up is a patriotic duty (we ) are protesting against a captured state. When Lia (Savonea) dictates, honest Romania takes to the streets to defend democracy. We took to the streets for Justice, NOT corruption!”, they said. They said it was “disgraceful … that people have to take to the streets to defend democracy, 36 years after coal miners beat up and killed democratic protesters in University Square.”
The crisis began when the centrist government of Ilie Bolojan was ousted in a no-confidence vote on May 5 initiated by the main coalition partner and a far-right group. Since then the president has failed to find a new prime minister who can secure a majority of votes in Parliament.
Adding to crisis, on Thursday courts made rulings against allies of Bolojan, the timing of which led to accusations that the president and his allies were using the justice system in the political fight.
In one instance, a county court issued a ruling against internal decisions of Bolojan’s Liberal Party in record time, stoking more public anger.
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