Romanian government withdraws proposed corruption bill after days of protests

Protesters in Bucharest, Romania.
(Image credit: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images)

Following days of massive protests, the Romanian government announced on Sunday it is dropping a proposed bill that would have protected politicians by decriminalizing corruption worth $48,000 or less.

The bill would have benefited officials who are currently imprisoned or under investigation, CNN reports, like Liviu Dragnea, president of the Social Democrat Party, who is being investigated over allegations of abuse of power. The announcement was made after Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu's Cabinet held an emergency meeting. On Saturday, Grindeanu addressed the nation on television, saying there was miscommunication surrounding the decree and his "last wish" was "to divide Romania."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.