Romanian government withdraws proposed corruption bill after days of protests

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."

His message didn't do anything to stop the protests. In Bucharest on Sunday, demonstrators sang the national anthem and held five minutes of silence in honor of the 1989 revolution to overthrow Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu. The law, which would have taken effect in about a week, was denounced by the embassies of Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States.

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