Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) has decided to replace a large rally to support its prime minister with a protest against the abuses in the local justice system, local Hotnews.ro reported.

PSD’s junior coalition partner, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), led by former prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, will also join this protest, which will take place in Bucharest on June 9. A Bucharest Pride rally is also scheduled to take place in Bucharest on the same day.

The PSD leaders initially wanted to organize a rally to support the traditional family in Romania in the context of the referendum for changing the Constitution and ban same sex marriages. The referendum was postponed so PSD decided to call a rally in support of its Government but then changed its plans again.

Judges from the High Court of Cassation and Justice are expected to announce their first decision in a case of abuse of office targeting PSD leader Liviu Dragnea on June 8, one day before the rally. The anticorruption prosecutors asked for over 7 years of jail time for Dragnea, who also got a 2-year suspended prison sentence in 2016 for fraud at the 2012 referendum for suspending former president Traian Basescu.

The PSD-ALDE coalition has been trying to change the justice laws and criminal codes in the last year and a half as they claim prosecutors use their power abusively to influence the political life in Romania.

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editor@romania-insider.com