Protests in Romania go on for the third day

Thousands of people are protesting on the streets of Bucharest and other major Romanian cities, as the government refuses to withdraw corruption decree.

While the country’s prime minister has declared that the government will not withdraw the abusive measure, the President Klaus Iohannis has decided to challenge it in court. According to experts, the decree will affect the progress Romania has made since its EU adherence ten years ago.

The political crisis was triggered because the emergency decree decriminalizes official misconduct if sums involved account for less than 200.000 lei ($47.800).

With the latest of changes the government aims to apply for the county’s corruption law, more than 300.000 people took the country’s streets over the last days, in what has been called “the biggest manifestation since the fall of communism in 1989.”

The current government, led by Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) has rejected the crowds’ claim to withdraw the emergency reforms.

Also, the protest has triggered international reactions, as countries such as the US, Germany, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands and France agreed that the government in Romania had undermined “progress on rule of law and the fight against corruption over the past ten years”.

Nevertheless, thousands more Romanian protesters are expected to flood the streets in the days to come.