BUCHAREST – Former Romanian President Traian Basescu told reporters that Moldovan President Igor Dodon has stripped him of republican citizenship due to fear.
“He is a weak person. He is afraid of me and bows to his chiefs from Moscow,” Basescu said, commenting on the presidential decree depriving him of Moldovan citizenship.
The former president said that this would not make him change his views, and he would continue to stand for the unification of Moldova and Romania.
Dodon signed a decree on depriving Basescu of Moldovan citizenship on Tuesday. He explained his decision on Facebook that the former Romanian leader has illegally acquired Moldovan citizenship. He earlier also stated the intention to strip Basescu of republican citizenship.
“I learnt from the media that Dodon has signed such a Decree. No one informed me about this. What opinion I can have on this issue, save that the pro-Moscow president has deprived the Moldovan citizen of citizenship, only because the latter thinks not as he (Dodon)does. As I will never be able to think like a Bolshevik,” Basescu said on the issue.
The former Romanian president also said that he would think over a likely appeal against this decision in court.
“I will see what can be done from this point of view, but, according to the Constitution, the president of the Republic of Moldova has very broad powers, therefore, I do not know whether something can be done in court,” Basescu said.
The Basescu spouses asked for Moldovan citizenship on March 8, 2016 and received it already in June by former Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti’s decree. The former Romanian president explained this by the striving to promote the European choice of Moldova. During the presidential election campaign in Moldova he has openly backed Dodon’s main rival, the Action and Solidarity Party leader Maia Sandu.
The decrees to grant Moldovan citizenship to Basescu and his wife Maria were signed by former president of the republic Nicolae Timofti on June 9.
