Hundreds of Romanians Call on President to Quit
Hundreds of Romanians rallied in Bucharest on Saturday to protest against austerity measures and a planned health care reform, calling on President Traian Basescu to quit.
Chanting "Resignation" and "Fear Not, Basescu Will Be Toppled," the protesters marched towards the presidential palace, closely monitored by some 150 police.
"We can no longer stand the poverty, enough is enough," a retired woman, Rodica Patran, told Agence France Presse.
She cited a pension freeze and a 25 percent cut in public wages adopted by the centre-right government in July 2010.
The protesters had been mobilized via the Internet and social networks to gather in downtown Bucharest to voice their solidarity with the founder of Romania's emergency medical services, Raed Arafat.
A Palestinian-born doctor, Arafat was forced to resign earlier this week after a row with President Basescu over a controversial health reform draft.
Faced with mounting criticism, Basescu on Friday called on the government to withdraw the bill from public debate.
Hundreds of Romanians also rallied in several other cities to call on Basescu and Prime Minister Emil Boc to resign.
15 January 2012, 15:20
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Help us promote this revolution! Last night they stopped all live cameras in Bucharest just because the media can cover up police brutality against protesters!
We call on world press to intervene / come and report on the ground!
People from other cities were headed last night to Bucharest where they were turned back by police on the basis that they are not citizens of Bucharest!
We want to see support from European Union members because affects us all this theft caused by the communist group! As these politicians borrow money from the IMF that they use in their own interests, not common (national), Europe will suffer due to debt caused by them.
