Romanian riot police detain a man, face covered in blood, after minor clashes erupted during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Brief clashes broke out between protesters and police in Romania's capital, as tens of thousands of people protested for the second night a government decision to decriminalise official misconduct. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The Associated Press
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Amid growing criticism of Romania from abroad, the country's president said Thursday he will ask judges to declare unconstitutional an emergency government decree that dilutes what qualifies as corruption.
Huge protests erupted in the capital and spread to cities around Romania in the past two nights after the government changed the law - one of the biggest protests in Romania since communism ended in 1989.
President Klaus Iohannis said he will take the decree to the Constitutional Court, the last legal resort to stop the law by the ruling center-left Social Democrats.
The government passed the ordinance early Wednesday to decriminalize cases of official misconduct if the funds involved are less than 200,000 lei ($47,800). Critics say the measure helps government allies and other officials facing corruption charges and will encourage officials to steal on the job.
European Commission vice president Frank Timmermans urged the Romanian government on Thursday to "urgently reconsider" the decree, warning that if it is adopted, it could affect the EU funds that Romania gets.
In a separate statement, the U.S., Germany, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, and France said Romania's government had undermined "progress on rule of law and the fight against corruption over the past ten years."
Even some prominent Social Democrats were upset with the move.
Business Environment Minister Florin Jianu announced his resignation Thursday, saying he disagreed with the government's stance on corruption. Mihai Chirica, the mayor of Iasi and a deputy chairman of the Social Democrats, called on the government to scrap the decree and send it to Parliament for debate and approval. He said Justice Minister Florin Iordache should resign.
Iordache, who has come under heavy fire for publishing the decree, will temporarily hand his duties over to a subordinate, a spokeswoman said.
Eight people were injured during clashes late Wednesday between police and protesters and 20 people were detained.
Men throw objects at a line of Romanian riot police after minor clashes erupted during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Protesters and riot police clashed sporadically in Romania's capital late Wednesday as tens of thousands demonstrated against the government for decriminalizing some official misconduct, a move that critics at home and abroad called a major a setback for the anti-corruption fight. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The Associated Press
Romanian riot police protect the government building from crowds before minor clashes erupted during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. Brief clashes broke out between protesters and police in Romania¹s capital, as tens of thousands of people protested for the second night a government decision to decriminalise official misconduct. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The Associated Press
A man holds a banner with the initials of the ruling Social Democrat party (PSD) during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. Protesters and riot police clashed sporadically in Romania's capital late Wednesday as tens of thousands demonstrated against the government for decriminalizing some official misconduct, a move that critics at home and abroad called a major a setback for the anti-corruption fight. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The Associated Press
Firefighters put out a burning kiosk after minor clashes erupted during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Protesters and riot police clashed sporadically in Romania's capital late Wednesday as tens of thousands demonstrated against the government for decriminalizing some official misconduct, a move that critics at home and abroad called a major a setback for the anti-corruption fight. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The Associated Press
Romanian riot police take positions in front of the government building after minor clashes erupted during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Protesters and riot police clashed sporadically in Romania's capital late Wednesday as tens of thousands demonstrated against the government for decriminalizing some official misconduct, a move that critics at home and abroad called a major a setback for the anti-corruption fight. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The Associated Press