A verdict on the validation or invalidation of the impeachment referendum has been postponed several times as the Court has required additional data regarding eligible voters to make its decision.
The Parliament suspended Basescu in a decision backed by Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s Social Liberal Union in July. In the July 29 referendum, 88% of those who cast ballots voted to impeach Basescu, but voter turnout stood at only 46%, and the referendum law states a turnout of at least 50% is necessary for the ballot to be validated.
Under pressure from the Government, which claimed the required turnout threshold may have been reached if data from the 2011 population census were used and voter lists had been revised to write off people who have died or moved abroad, the Constitutional Court asked to see registered voter lists before making its decision.
The Court’s decision on the referendum outcome requires a two-thirds majority to be adopted, which means six out of the Court’s nine judges must agree on whether to validate or invalidate the referendum.