Romania’s parliament has voted in favor of a referendum on anti-corruption reforms proposed by right-wing President Klaus lohannis, who has been critical of the country’s left-wing government.
On Monday, lawmakers across party lines voted in favor of the presidential plan to hold the referendum on unspecified measures meant to tackle prevailing corruption in the country.
All the 310 MPs present in the 463-seat parliament unanimously endorsed the proposal.
President lohannis now has to set a date for the vote.
Romania has been beset by political upheaval since late January, when Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu proposed a bill to decriminalize certain corruption offences. The bill, which bypassed parliamentary review, sparked massive protests in the country. People largely saw it as benefiting government officials involved in corruption.
While the government was forced to withdraw the bill amid huge opposition, people have continued to stage protest rallies, now seeking the resignation of the government, which they say they no more trust.
Justice Minister Florin Iordache, the architect of the bill, has also stepped down, but anti-government protests have only gained more momentum.
Massive protests have been taking place across the capital, Bucharest, and other main cities, including Cluj and Timisoara.
