The recent attempt of the opposition to suspend Romanian President Traian Basescu was labeled by the latter and his political supporters as an unprecedented attack on democracy itself.
However, it is debatable there was an attack on democracy, and there is no problem in proving there was a precedent to it: the very Democrat Party, now in office, supporting Basescu, and crying fault-play, was among those initiating the suspending procedures in 1994, against the then President Ion Iliescu.
On 19 May 1994, Iliescu stated that "the judiciary placed itself on illegal ground "when ruling for the return of the properties nationalized by the communist regime to the original owners, prior to Parliament adopting a special law regulating the matter."
From a political standpoint it is easy to understand that the center-right and the political left were in fact catering to the needs of their respective electorates when expressing opposite views on the matter.
But the then opposition, now the ruling parties, cried fault-play and wanted Illiescu out of office, as a politician willing to bring in "a velvet dictatorship" and as a former commy with utter disregard to private property.
On 10 June 1994 the statement made by the Peasantsâ Party triggered the suspension procedure for Iliescu.
On June 14 the ruling center-right alliance issued a communiqué asking Iliescu to come in front of the Parliament and clarify his position.
On June 17 Iliescu said he would not present himself in front of the Parliament, since he was chosen by popular vote, but that he was ready to meet the leaders of the opposition to clarify things.
Proof there was not an attack on democracy, but more an attack of the opposition against the ruling parties, on June 22, the opposition also filed a motion against the social-democrat government led by Nicolae Vacaroiu,
