Romanian parliament suspends president

ROMANIA:Romania's parliament suspended president Traian Basescu yesterday, intensifying his battle with prime minister Calin Tariceanu and raising the prospect of snap elections.

Deputies voted by 322 to 108 to suspend Mr Basescu for abuse of office, despite a ruling from the constitutional court that he had done nothing wrong and the president's own threat to quit if his powers were frozen.

Mr Basescu stood little chance of winning yesterday's parliamentary vote, given the bitter breakdown in his relations with the ruling Liberals of prime minister Calin Tariceanu and his long-standing antipathy towards the ex-communist Social Democrats (PSD).

The president rejects opposition accusations that he meddled in government affairs and legal cases, undermined cabinet ministers and maintained links to dubious businessmen, and he accuses his opponents of trying to cover their own corruption and preserve ties to mafia groups by ousting him and derailing tough anti-graft reforms.

According to law, parliament can suspend the president for 30 days and organise a national referendum on his impeachment.

Polls show Mr Basescu would win such a vote however, and he said this week that he would resign "within five minutes" if parliament suspended him.

Basescu allies say he may announce his resignation after the suspension is officially announced, sometime in the next two days. If he quits, a presidential ballot must be held - and the pugnacious former ship's captain would be highly likely be re-elected.

"I ask Traian Basescu to respect his own pledge to quit. Romanians expect state institutions to work efficiently and not carry on with endless in-fighting," Mr Tariceanu said yesterday. "The government will prove that Romania is not blocked, that the country is going forward . . . and is being governed according to its status as an EU member." Analysts fear anti-corruption legislation and reforms to help Romania properly access and spend EU funds could now be delayed.

Fears of backsliding on reform were stoked by Mr Tariceanu's recent decision to purge the cabinet of Mr Basescu's Democratic Party allies, including figures who are well respected in Brussels for their commitment to change, like former justice minister Monica Macovei.