President Traian Băsescu has been suspended of Friday, after the vote in the Parliament plenum. The petition for suspending president Traian Basescu passed the Parliament vote. Officialy, there were recorded 256 votes in favor of Traian Basescu’s suspension, while against the petition there were 114 votes, and 2 votes were cancelled.
Here's what foreign media wrote on this subject:
Novinite - Sofia News Agency
After heated and long debates, a total of 256 Members of the Parliament out of 432 voted in favor of the move against center-right Basescu. 217 were needed to pass the suspension. The President's final fate will be decided by a referendum, which must be held in the next 30 days. A simple majority will be sufficient to impeach him. Basescu was suspended on the grounds that he had overstepped his authority by interfering in government business and legal affairs. He firmly denies the accusations and blames opponents for destabilizing Romania.
BBC
Mr Basescu faces allegations of encroaching on the prime minister's role and violating citizens' rights. The president is in conflict with Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who heads the Social Liberal Union (USL), which has a majority in parliament. The political conflict between the president and prime minister has stalled decision-making processes in Romania at a time when it is finalizing agreements on an IMF-backed aid package for its economy.
Mr Ponta, who came to power in May, says Mr Basescu has too much influence over Romania's Constitutional Court, which is due to consider new impeachment legislation.
CNN
During the suspension, National Liberal Party leader Crin Antonescu, who is also the president of the Senate, will assume the interim presidency. Earlier this week, Antonescu was appointed the president of the Senate. This position allows him to assume the president's attributions, in case the latter is suspended, according to the Constitution.
Crin Antonescu said on Friday he is ready to step out of politics if Basescu wins the referendum.
Euronews
Suspended Romania leader denies wrongdoing. “I can assure you that, as president of the state, I acted with full responsibility in the period when economic crises hit badly, I repeat badly,” President Basescu told parliament. A referendum has been set for July 29 to let the people decide whether he should continue.
ABC News
Romania's parliament has suspended president Traian Basescu, ruling he had overstepped his powers, setting the stage for an impeachment referendum. Although the role is in-part ceremonial, the president is in charge of the country's foreign policy and nominates the prime minister. Mr Basescu was able to influence the previous government's austerity policies because of his close links to the centre-right Democrat-Liberal Party (PDL), which led the government.
AFP
Basescu, a former sea captain, is facing impeachment over claims he improperly assumed the powers of the prime minister when he announced drastic austerity cuts in 2010.
Romania, badly hit by recession, had agreed to tough belt-tightening including public-sector wage and benefit cuts in return for a multi-billion-dollar bailout from the European Union and IMF.
Basescu, whose popularity has plummeted since the deal, "is facing the toughest moment of his career," said Florin Negrutiu, a columnist at online newspaper Gandul. "Never has he faced such hatred from the people."
Financial Times
The suspension vote followed days of tensions in the Balkan state, which joined the EU in 2007, as Victor Ponta, the prime minister and his leftwing USL coalition challenged the powers of Traian Basescu, the president. The prime minister and his party say Mr Basescu, supposed to be neutral under Romania’s constitution, has exceeded his authority, interfered in politics, and acted in a party political way.
Romanian MPs voted overwhelmingly 256-114 to suspend the president, meaning a referendum will be held on July 29 on whether to remove Mr Basescu, head of state since 2004, from office. That will require only a simple majority of those who vote, after Mr Ponta used an emergency decree to change a previous rule requiring a majority of all registered voters.
Romania’s currency fell to a record low against the euro on Friday amid the political turmoil, which has paralysed decision-making and raised concerns over the future of a €5bn precautionary credit facility with the International Monetary Fund.