November 28 (SeeNews) - The U.S. State Department urged Romania's parliament to reject legislation that could weaken the fight against corruption.
"The United States notes with concern that the Parliament of Romania is considering legislation that could undermine the fight against corruption and weaken judicial independence in Romania," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a press release late on Monday.
"This legislation, which was originally proposed by the Ministry of Justice, threatens the progress Romania has made in recent years to build strong judicial institutions shielded from political interference. We urge the Parliament of Romania to reject proposals that weaken the rule of law and endanger the fight against corruption."
Some 45,000 people rallied on Sunday night in Bucharest and other Romanian cities to protest against an emergency decree introducing changes to the fiscal code that was issued by the government at the beginning of November, as well as against government plans to appoint Romania's chief prosecutor without the consent of the president.
For the first time since the protests began on November 5, the biggest trade union confederations in the country, namely The National Trade Union Bloc, BNS, and Cartel Alfa members joined the protests.
Also present were members of some 42 civic groups and non-government organisations, local media reported.
This was the fourth straight Sunday of protests in Romania.
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