Basescu reinstated as Romania’s president

Suspended President Traian Basescu resumed his term in office as the Romanian head of state on Wednesday evening, May 23, at 7.35 pm. The reinstating ceremony took place at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, where Basescu was welcomed with military honours. The president walked past a guard of honour, and after a military brass band played the national anthem, he greeted the presidential advisors and state counsellors from the Presidential Administration, who had been on leave during the time that Romania was led by a caretaker president. Basescu resumed his term in office barely tens of minutes after the Constitutional Court's ruling on the May 19 referendum was published in the Official Gazette. The Court's Ruling confirms the results of Saturday's referendum and decides that Basescu resumes his powers of Romanian President. Traian Basescu was suspended on April 19 with the vote of 322 MPs out of 440 MPs present in the sitting room and 465 total MPs. Romanians rejected by 74.4 to 24.8 percent on Saturday parliament's proposal to remove Basescu from office. At the referendum on Saturday, Traian Basescu obtained 6 million votes, by almost 1 million more compared with the results of the 2004 presidential elections.