Romanian parliament approves anti-corruption referendum

Romania's parliament has unanimously endorsed a plan to hold a national referendum on anti-corruption reforms after mass street protests made the government back-pedal over a controversial corruption decree.

All 310 MPs present voted on Monday in favour of the proposal by President Klaus Iohannis, a strong supporter of the country's anti-corruption drive.

An estimated 70,000 people took to the streets on Sunday for the 13th consecutive night of anti-government demonstrations. Those campaigning have accused the government of attempting to water down anti-corruption laws.

Parliament has already backed down over a planned decree that would have made the crime of abusing power punishable only if the sum exceeded 200,000 lei (€44,440).

The architect of the decree, justice minister Florin Iordache, resigned last week, citing a need to appease public opinion in the EU member state of 20 million people and arguing he had done nothing wrong.

It is not yet clear what question will be presented to voters but the referendum was seen by some as a way to bolster support for the fight against corruption.

The recent series of demonstrations are the biggest anti-government protests Romania has seen since the end of communism in 1989. In the last fortnight, protests involving tens of thousands of people have taken place in Bucharest and large cities across the country.

The Prime Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, withdrew the decree more than a week ago but nightly demonstrations have continued to draw large crowds demanding the resignation of the government, which assumed power last month.