Romanian President Nikusor Dan announced today that he will initiate a referendum among magistrates with the question "Is the Supreme Council of Magistrates acting in the public interest or in the interest of a group within the judiciary", Agerpres reported, citing a press release, BTA reported.
He added that he will do this in January, "right after the holidays".
The Romanian president said that if the results of the referendum show that magistrates believe that the Supreme Council of Magistrates is acting in the public interest, legislative discussions will continue. However, if the referendum shows that the Council represents the interests of the guild, then he "will leave" urgently".
Dan specified that after reading the complaints received from magistrates, the conclusion is that there is a category of magistrates, members of the Supreme Administrative Court, from the court leadership, who do not act in the public interest, but act in the interest of a group they represent.
A wave of discontent swept Romania on December 10 after the publication and broadcast of the documentary “Justice in Captivity“ on the news website “Recorder“, in which several former and current magistrates speak of pressure on the judicial system.
This provoked Romanian President Nikusor Dan to call on all magistrates to write to him directly about the problems they face and to organize a meeting on December 22 in Bucharest to identify weaknesses in the judicial system.