BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) – Romania’s justice minister resigned Thursday following mass protests over a law that would soften the corruption fight in the country.
Florin Iordache defended his tenure, saying all his initiatives were “legal and constitutional,” but had failed to placate “public opinion.”
Romania’s two-month-old government withdrew the contentious decree this week, crafted by Iordache, to legalize some forms of official misconduct this week after hundreds of thousands protested in cities around Romania.
Protesters said that the measure would dilute the anti-corruption fight.
The ordinance would have decriminalized abuse in office by officials if the amount involved was less than about $48,500. The government plans to introduce another version of the law in Parliament, where it has a majority.