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President Klaus Iohannis's (left) decision to call a national referendum on 26 May seeks to challenge the ruling party's track record for corruption, as well as its recent assault on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. (Photo: European Commission)

Romania's referendum - a bid to combat corruption

by Lavinia Stan, Antigonish, Nova Scotia,

Romanian president Klaus Iohannis's decision to call a national referendum on 26 May seeks to challenge the ruling party's track record for corruption, as well as its recent assault on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

After the 2016 elections, the Social Democrat Party (PSD) secured a majority in parliament with the help of two junior parties and then used this strong position to hammer out new criminal codes that endangered the rule of law for the sake of protect...

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Lavinia Stan is Jules Leger Research Chair and Professor of Political Science at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. Her research interests include post-communist politics, especially in Romania, transitional justice, as well as religion and politics. Since 2016 she has contributed to the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) report on Romania.

President Klaus Iohannis's (left) decision to call a national referendum on 26 May seeks to challenge the ruling party's track record for corruption, as well as its recent assault on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. (Photo: European Commission)

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Author Bio

Lavinia Stan is Jules Leger Research Chair and Professor of Political Science at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. Her research interests include post-communist politics, especially in Romania, transitional justice, as well as religion and politics. Since 2016 she has contributed to the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) report on Romania.

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