Romania Protests Continue as Govt Survives Impeachment Vote

Romania's ruling Social Democrat-led government survived its first impeachment motion in parliament on Thursday, as the opposition, civil society activists and trade unions called for renewed protests against various measures taken by the government this year.

Around 2,000 opposition supporters gathered in front of parliament to protest against the ruling party and support the impeachment vote as drivers circled the building, waving Romanian and European Union flags.

Social Democrat MPs left the session before the opposition read the impeachment motion, which was backed by all opposition factions - the Liberals, the Save Romania Union and nationalist Popular Movement Party.

However, because the motion did not win the backing of the Democratic Union of Hungarians, the main ethnic Hungarian party in Romania, it did not garner enough votes.

The two leaders of the ruling coalition, Social Democrat chief Liviu Dragnea, and the head of the Alliance for the Liberals and Democrats, ALDE, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, did not attend the session.

The opposition and some Social Democrats have called for Dragnea's resignation after National Anti-Corruption Directorate froze all his assets on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of European funds.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that Dragnea should resign as speaker for the Chamber of Deputies and should not have been elected to the post in the first place. 

"It's wrong to have people with criminal records in a country's leadership," Iohannis said.

Daniel Chirica, the Social Democrat Mayor of Iasi, in eastern Romania, also called for Dragnea's resignation on Wednesday as party chief, saying that "the confusion in Romania and the party is his...