Romania's president says the country is in "fully-fledged" political crisis, after hundreds of thousands demonstrated against a government measure that would weaken the country's anti-corruption drive.
In an address to Parliament on Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis, a critic of the two-month-old government, said the majority of Romanians now believe the country is going in the wrong direction.
Thousands gathered for the eighth consecutive evening in Victory Square outside the government offices, shouting "Social Democratic Party, the red plague!" and "Resign!"
"Romania needs a government that is transparent, which governs predictably by the light of day, not sneakily at night," the president said, referring to the late hour the government passed an emergency ordinance last week aimed at decriminalising some forms of official corruption.
The move - which bypassed Parliament and was not signed off by Iohannis, who has limited powers - ignited the biggest protests seen since communism ended in the country in 1989. As a result, the government will now seek to introduce the plan in Parliament.
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