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BUCHAREST / AP
Romania’s government is on a high-risk mission: devise a legal and politically acceptable way to remove penalties for some types of official corruption.
First, the government tried to effect the change by imposing an emergency decree without public debate. The move backfired badly, sparking massive demonstrations in the capital of Bucharest and other major cities that caused the government to reverse course.
The standing of the left-leaning government that assumed power two months ago has fallen so quickly that leaders found it necessary on Monday to assert they would not resign even as the protests continued. The prime minister says a new proposal will be put before Parliament instead.
Is there a legal and political path for the government to accomplish its goal of easing corruption rules for public officials? Experts say Parliament can indeed pass such a law but the political task of winning support is trickier. Laura Stefan, a Romanian anti-corruption specialist with the Expert Forum public policy think tank in Bucharest, said the government made a strategic blunder with the emergency decree. It would have tolerated abuse of power by officials if the amount of graft involved totaled less than about $48,500.