Roemeense kiezers steunen president in interne machtsstrijd (en)

Romanian voters have backed their president Traian Basescu in a referendum, amid fears in Brussels about whether Bucharest will fulfil anti-corruption promises made before joining the EU in January.

An overwhelming majority - 74% according to early results - of voters supported the centre-right president in a plebiscite which saw a relatively low turn-out (44%) on Saturday (19 May), according to press reports.

The vote came after the Romanian parliament suspended Mr Basescu in late April following accusations that he had violated the country's constitution by exceeding his powers.

But with his mandate to expire only in 2009, citizens had to be consulted on the president's impeachment.

The result of Saturday's referendum comes as a blow to the Liberal Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu who has been stuck for over two years in a political fight with Mr Basescu and to the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), which initiated the suspension process.

Last month, Mr Tariceanu kicked out ministers from Mr Basescu's Democrat party and formed a minority cabinet with support from the SDP, with the president denouncing their pact as a "political-financial oligarchy".

The cabinet reshuffle was viewed with concern in Brussels due to the sacking of the architect of key judicial reforms in Romania, justice minister Monica Macovei, with her successor Tudor Chiuariu suspending a leading prosecutor in charge of fighting corruption. Analysts considered the move as politically motivated.

Romania's performance on the corruption front is closely monitored by EU officials, as the country was only allowed to join the bloc last January on the condition that it would continue to tackle the issue.

Commenting on Saturday's referendum results, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso congratulated Mr Basescu and urged Bucharest to "move with the reforms that are needed."

"To achieve these reforms, Romania needs a stable political and legal framework with all political actors working together to achieve the growth and social development of Romania," Mr Barroso added.

The European Commission last autumn imposed a series of benchmarks on Romania and Bulgaria regarding the judiciary and corruption, with a commission report in June likely to note continuing backlogs.

If Bucharest and Sofia fail to meet commission benchmarks, Brussels could impose sanctions such as the non-recognition of Romanian or Bulgarian court verdicts at any time until three years after accession.