BUCHAREST — Romania's Constitutional Court struck down on Tuesday a referendum to impeach President Traian Basescu, thwarting a drive by the country's leftist government to oust its chief political opponent just months before a parliamentary election. Two decades after the overthrow of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the battle pitting Basescu against Prime Minister Victor Ponta could now intensify in coming months just as one of the European Union's poorest states faces tough austerity demands from international lenders. The court, as expected, ruled that a July 29 referendum called by the government to remove the political veteran Basescu was invalid because turnout fell short of the required 50 percent of the electorate. “We stated that the referendum quorum condition was not met,” Chief judge Augustin Zegrean told reporters, and said the court gave its ruling “with a legal majority of 6-3.” Asked if Basescu could now return to power after a suspension by parliament — which needed to be confirmed in the referendum to take effect — Zegrean said “Yes”. The crisis has stalled policymaking, sent the leu currency to record lows last month and angered the European Union, which accused Ponta of undermining the rule of law and intimidating judges in the country that has long been criticized for corruption and weak justice. It shed light on weaknesses in Romania's institutional setup, a wider problem in former communist EU member states as shown in Hungary earlier this year where Prime Minister Viktor Orban clashed with the EU over constitutional changes. Basescu should now return to office, pending rubber-stamping of the court decision by parliament. Ponta has said he would respect a 6-3 court ruling, after arguing earlier that updated voting lists should show that the referendum was valid. Although the court ruling avoids the risk of an extra election and a European Union challenge to any impeachment, political tensions are likely to prevail ahead of the November parliamentary election, which are likely to be won by Ponta's USL coalition. “Basescu's political survival would suggest that tension with Prime Minister Victor Ponta will continue, with the potential for a renewed escalation later on in the year,” said Otilia Simkova, an analyst at Eurasia group.— Reuters
