A national Romanian referendum to impeach embattled President Traian Basescu for overstepping his powers has failed due to a low voter turnout, CNN reported on Monday.
The agency said citing figures from Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau that the voter turnout in Sunday’s referendum stood at 45.9 percent, which was short the majority out of some 18.3 million eligible Romanian voters.
Basescu, who has been in power since 2004, was suspended by the parliament before the referendum. He has seen his popularity slump after he backed tough austerity measures demanded by Romania's international lenders.
The center-left government led by Victor Ponta accused Basescu of exceeding his authority, undermining the rule of law and meddling in government affairs. Basescu has denied the accusations and has urged Romanians to boycott Sunday's referendum.
