The Parliament voted to suspend Basescu on July 6 and Sunday’s referendum requires a voter turnout of over 50% of the country’s 18 million eligible voters to be validated, as per a decision of the country’s Constitutional Court.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s Social Liberal Union (USL), which took office in May, is asking Romanians to vote to impeach Basescu for overstepping his powers.
The turnout requirement might actually help Basescu return to office since voter turnouts have been well below 50% in most elections held over the past years. Also, Basescu and his supporting Democratic Liberal Party have been calling on eligible voters not to cast ballots and boycott the impeachment referendum.
Romanian authorities have set up around 18,000 polling stations countrywide and 306 at embassies and consular offices abroad.
If Basescu is impeached following Sunday’s ballot, a presidential election is expected to be held within three months, and USL co-leader Crin Antonescu would remain acting president until the vote.