Romanians uncertain over rules of key impeachment vote

BUCHAREST: Less than two weeks before a vote on the controversial impeachment of Romania's president, the rules were still unclear yesterday despite European and US pressure for a turnout threshold to be respected.
Foreign diplomats told AFP on condition of anonymity that a similar situation would be hard to imagine in a Western democracy ahead of an important referendum.
Romanians go to the polls on July 29 to say if the suspended center-right president Traian Basescu should keep his job to the end of his term in 2014, or leave office now, as the center-left ruling coalition wants. Their answer could put an end to the ongoing political crisis, one of the worst in the country since the end of communist rule in 1989.
An emergency decree adopted by the government ten days ago altered the voting conditions, sparking severe criticism from Romania's European partners and from Washington.
Thirteen days ahead of the referendum, the number of eligible voters has still not been published while the number of polling stations abroad has been drastically reduced. Above all, it is not yet clear if authorities are committed to observing a Constitutional Court ruling imposing a minimum turnout of 50 percent of the electorate for the ballot to be valid.
Pressured by the European Commission, Prime Minister Victor Ponta last week pledged to abide by the court's ruling, during a visit to Brussels.
But back in Bucharest he denied having promised a turnout threshold would be imposed.
He stressed that should the turnout be lower than 50 percent, a "juridical battle" would follow.
The European Commission has called on Romania to observe all the top court's decisions and did not rule out sanctions if authorities failed to follow through with their commitments.
Ponta said on Friday he had answered Brussels' requests but the European Commission said yesterday it was still waiting for a full and more detailed formal response.
Attaining a 50 percent turnout is not easy in Romania, where voters are increasingly disappointed with their political leaders.