Romania's political crisis deepens

Romania's political crisis deepened on Friday after a key government ally said an emergency decree that would dilute the government's anti-corruption fight was not constitutional.

Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea, who previously backed the government's ordinance, reversed his position on Friday and said he would tell the Constitutional Court that the decree passed overnight on Wednesday to decriminalize official misconduct was "not justified," and the measure risked "taking out of the reach of criminal law almost all the public administration".

Earlier, Justice Minister Florin Iordache said he stood by the law, defying strong criticism from home and abroad and days of massive protests.