Liviu Dragnea, the president of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), talked in a TV show about many of the hot topics in Romania these days, including the investigation of the August 10 protest, which turned violent after an intervention of the riot police, the upcoming referendum for the definition of family in the Constitution, and a possible pardon law.

Referring to the August 10 anti-government protest in Bucharest, which is now being investigated by the General Prosecutor’s Office, Dragnea said that president Klaus Iohannis “gave the signal” through a Facebook post. Moreover, according to the PSD leader, the president would like yet another violent protest to be organized this month, this being his plan to change the government, local Digi24 reported.

“That night, at 10:30 or 11:00, I do not remember exactly, Iohannis put a post on Facebook. He gave the signal. He wanted to give two signals. To intimidate the Gendarmerie and tell the violent protestors: <<Don’t worry because nothing will happen to you, return the next day and stay for as long as it is needed to reach your established goal, namely to take over the Government, to take down the Government through violence>>,” Dragnea said at local TV station Romania TV.

“Why is this intended? There have been talks related to the organization of yet another protest, also violent, perhaps around end-October, on the assumption that the gendarmes, who are being investigated, who are being prosecuted, are now intimidated and the protesters can do whatever they want. I think that's the intention of Klaus Iohannis.”

The protest organized in Bucharest’s Victoriei Square on August 10 ended violently after a brutal intervention of the riot police and gendarmes. They used tear gas and water cannons to clear the square, with peaceful protesters, journalists and even tourists being injured during their intervention. However, Liviu Dragnea and the interior minister said that the gendarmes’ intervention was legal. Meanwhile, Romanian Gendarmerie heads are being investigated as suspects in this case.

Dragnea also talked about the appeal of his prison sentence for abuse of office, which will start this month. He said he has very low expectations, as this sentence, of three years and six months, was given “without any evidence.”

“I no longer trust that justice is blind, at least as far as I am concerned and not only me, after I have received the second sentence without any evidence,” he said, according to local News.ro.

He also said that this is a ”political project of Iohannis” and the opposition parties PNL and USR.

The PSD head also referred to a possible pardon law, which he believes should be adopted “at some point” in Romania, either by law in Parliament or by Government Ordinance. However, he rejected the allegations according to which such a pardon law would be adopted at his request, as it helps him clear his name.

Another topic touched during the TV show was the upcoming referendum on the definition of family in the Constitution. The referendum will take place this weekend, on October 7-8, and aims to change the article that defines family, from the current “marriage between spouses” to the “marriage between a man and a woman”. This would make same-sex marriages impossible in Romania. Dragnea said he would in favor of this change at the referendum, because his Orthodox education “obliges” him to do so.

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Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com