Moldova's Dodon revokes citizenship of pro-Western Romanian leader
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 January 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Moldova's Dodon revokes citizenship of pro-Western Romanian leader, 4 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a3e9a.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 04, 2017
Moldovan President Igor Dodon's decree for revoking the citizenship of former Romanian president Traian Basescu
Moldova's new pro-Russia president has stripped the ex-president of Romania of his recently-acquired Moldovan citizenship on January 3, saying he obtained it illegally.
In November, Traian Basescu and his wife Maria took an oath of citizenship at the Moldovan embassy in Bucharest, and he said at the time that he might pursue "political options" in the former Soviet state, which once was part of Romania.
Basescu while president of Romania between 2004 and 2014 pushed for Moldova to reunite with Romania and move closer to the European Union.
But Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who has promised to strengthen ties with Moscow and had campaigned on cancelling Basescu's citizenship, put an end to any designs Basescu might have to run for political office.
In signing a decree revoking Basescu's citizenship, Dodon did not explain why he believed it was granted illegally by former Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti last year.
Basescu called Dodon's action "political" and said Dodon was "afraid" of him.
During Basescu's presidency in Romania, hundreds of thousands of Moldovans became eligible for Romanian citizenship and were able to become citizens of the European Union through that avenue.
Based on reporting by AP and Sputnik News
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
