Romania’s justice minister is to publish details of a new bill on the criminal code, as protests continue in Bucharest.
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu refuses to step down despite the biggest protests since 1989.
Although the government scrapped the corruption legislation that sparked a week of public outrage, an estimated half a million Romanians are still in the streets.
The protests started in order to oppose the decree that would have effectively shielded some officials from prosecution on corruption charges.
Protesters are shouting: “We don’t believe you, we won’t give up.”
Adrian Leitner, a Romanian construction worker living in London, thinks the same: “I don’t believe than anything will change. Eighty percent of people are still corrupt. And will continue to be.”
Adrian is from a small town in Romania, Careii, but event there at least 500 people went to the streets, including his relatives.
However the main protests take place in the capital.
Mihai Duma, 20, lives and studies in Romania. He is protesting “every single evening since Tuesday night.”
” I’m amazed by the quick reaction that people had all over the country.”
Although many people have already lost hope in changing corrupt politicians, Mihai maintains hope.
“Through the last years we have been talking about how the society is split because of economic reasons. But the protest these days proves the contrary; people stand up together against the power abuse,” he says.
Just as it was with EuroMaidan protests in Ukraine three years ago, most of the change Romanians see within the civil society, rather than the government.
“It’s not just about the law,” he says. “We don’t feel represented by this government, which is supporting only its own interests. We want a transparent act of governing that’s why people ask for their demission.”
“When you are the prime minister, you are not here to work for your party, but for the good of all people.”
Mihai told the City News that the protest is peaceful: “Protesters give flowers to the police officers who are there with us day and night, after each protest people stay out to clean the place, if someone brings tea, food or something for sure they will share it with you.”