Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said in an address to the parliament on February 7, that he will organise consultations if the Social Democratic Party (PSD) does not quickly solve the crisis it has created.

Romania has seen mass protests in the past week as hundreds of thousands of people took the streets to show their disapproval of a recently adopted emergency ordinance partly decriminalising abuse of office. Although the government repealed the ordinance, the protests have not stopped and the protesters are now asking for the government's resignation. 

The planned changes to the Criminal Code have been seen as a means of helping some politicians evade justice. Meanwhile, supporters of the government started counter protests against the president, whom they accuse of dividing the population.

The president said that a recent study carried out in the past three days shows that 80% of the Romanians consider the country is going to a wrong direction.

"The withdrawal of the Ordinance 13 and maybe the dismissal of a minister is surely too little," the president said, referring to the justice minister. "Early elections are, in this phase, too much," Iohannis added.

Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has said he will make a decision regarding Justice Minister Florin Iordache in the coming days, after a no-confidence motion against the government is discussed in parliament.

Iohannis denied he is not trying to overthrow the government, as it has been suggested. "It is false, you have won, now govern and make laws, but not anyway. Not anyway. Romania needs a strong government, not a government which executes orders coming from the party. Romania needs a government which works in a transparent way, which governs in a predictable way, during the day, not at night, secretly," Iohannis said referring to the fact that the controversial emergency ordinance was adopted late in the evening, without even being on the agenda of the government meeting.

The president added that he will go on and call an anti-corruption referendum he previously announced. Earlier in the day, the legal committees in the parliament approved the president's request to organise a referendum, Hotnews.ro.

"I am waiting an answer from the parliament to my request. As soon as I get it, I will call the referendum," Iohannis said.