Moldova's President Dodon Deprives Ex-Romanian Leader of Moldovan Citizenship

CHISINAU (Sputnik) — Moldovan President Igor Dodon deprived on Tuesday former Romanian President Traian Basescu of the recently obtained Moldovan citizenship.

"I have signed a decree to deprive Traian Basescu of Moldovan citizenship," Dodon wrote on his Facebook account.

Dodon noted that the Moldovan citizenship was issued illegally to Basescu, violating the provisions of the country's constitution.

In June 2016, the country's fourth president, Nicolae Timofti, granted to former Romanian president and his wife the Moldovan citizenship, while Dodon had repeatedly said during his election campaign that he would deprive Basescu of the citizenship if he became a president.

Basescu, who was president of Romania in 2004-2014, is a supporter of the so-called reconstruction of the Greater Romania through the unification with Moldova. During his time in office, he introduced the legislation allowing for the Moldovans with Romanian ancestors to apply for Romanian citizenship, thus becoming the citizens of the European Union. The former Romanian leader in 2015 declared that Moldova could become part of Romania within a five-year period.

While serving as Romanian president, Traian Basescu was in open conflict with the country's parliament and was twice proposed for the impeachment. In 2013, while still in the office, he stated that he would not finish his political career and would ask the Moldovan authorities to grant him the citizenship of Moldova. He filed a request for Moldovan citizenship in March 2016, together with his wife Maria.

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