International media outlets comment referendum results

The latest news on the referendum for the impeachment of president Traian Basescu was quickly picked up by international media outlets, which point out that the low turnout at the vote will invalidate the referendum. However, Romania is set for other political rows to come as the conflict between the president and the prime-minister will continue, with effects on the economy.

•  CNN comments in the story Romania impeachment vote falls short, president says”Embattled “Romanian President Traian Basescu declared victory late Sunday after low voter turnout appeared to doom a referendum on whether to remove him from office. The Central Electoral Bureau estimated turnout at 45.9%, short of the majority of registered voters needed for the vote to be valid. Basescu had urged his supporters to boycott the polls, telling reporters, “The best help today is to stay home.” After the polls closed at 11 p.m. (4 p.m. ET), he said voters had rejected a “coup” by Prime Minister Victor Ponta and the interim president, Crin Antonescu. Asked if he was certain about the figures, he told them, “I’m never wrong.”

• Reuters writes in a piece called Romanian president survives impeachment referendum.”Leftist Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s efforts to unseat the conservative Basescu have brought a stern dressing-down from the European Union, which accused him of undermining the rule of law and intimidating judges. The row over Basescu has delayed policymaking, sent the leu currency plunging to record lows, and pushed up borrowing costs. It also raised concern about the future of Romania’s 5 billion euro ($6.2 billion) International Monetary Fund-led aid deal. The election bureau said the voter turnout was 46 percent, below the 50 percent threshold Ponta’s leftist Social Liberal Union (USL) needed to make the referendum valid.”

• Euronews writes in the article Romanian president ‘survives’ crucial vote“In Romania, suspended President Traian Basescu has declared victory following a referendum to oust him from office. Speaking to jubilant supporters, the former sea captain said the people of Romania had backed him by staying at home. Earlier in the evening, unofficial exit polls put turnout at around 44 percent. Under Romanian law half the electorate plus one must vote for the impeachment to be valid. Despite that, the turnout and official referendum result has not been announced. Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s ruling leftist coalition moved to impeach Basescu after accusing him of exceeding his authority and meddling in government policy, something Basescu denies.”

• BBC comments in the piece Romanian President Traian Basescu has survived a referendum on his impeachment.“The country’s election bureau estimated turnout at 45.9%, which is below the 50% required to make the result valid. Mr Basescu, who has been suspended by parliament, had asked his supporters to boycott the vote. The centre-left government had accused the centre-right president of exceeding his authority and of meddling in government affairs. BBC Central Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe said high summer temperatures and a growing distrust of the whole political elite, appeared to have kept voting numbers down. As voting ended, Mr Basescu said that Romanians had “rejected a coup” by staying away from polling stations.”

•  Bloomberg writes Romania Set for Further Political Turmoil After Vote“Romanian President Traian Basescu survived a second attempt to oust him in five years as a voter boycott invalidated an impeachment referendum, setting the stage for further battles with Premier Victor Ponta. Turnout at yesterday’s referendum called by Ponta’s ruling coalition was 46.13 percent with 97.5 percent of votes counted, below the minimum threshold of half the electorate, according to preliminary figures released by the central electoral bureau today. About 87.5 percent of those who participated voted to oust Basescu. Ponta’s government, the Balkan nation’s third this year, took power in May riding a Europe-wide backlash against austerity steps. The referendum, which must be endorsed by the Constitutional Court, will probably intensify wrangling that pushed the leu to a record low against the euro, boosted borrowing costs and delayed a review of a bailout loan, according to Commerzbank AG’s Thu Lan Nguyen.”