Romanian PM steps down over protests

Romania’s Prime Minister Emil Boc has quit in the face of widespread protests over IMF-backed austerity measures.

Announcing his resignation, he said he hoped the decision would ease political and social tension and ensure the country’s economic stability. Boc joins a long list of EU state leaders who have been felled by fury over spending cuts.

The IMF, which bailed out Romania in 2009 with a 20-billion euro loan, said it did not expect the deal to be affected by Boc’s departure.

While the leftist opposition is calling for an early general election, its lack of a majority in the current legislature means that the president, who comes from Boc’s centrist Democrat-Liberal Party (PDL), is likely to be able to secure parliamentary backing for his eventual nominee.

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