ROMANIA’s political crisis has deepened after a key government ally said an emergency decree to decriminalise official misconduct was not constitutional.

Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea, who previously backed the measure, reversed his position yesterday, saying it was “not justified”.

The decree sparked mass protests, with President Klaus Iohannis saying: “We have hundreds of thousands of my Romanians out on the street. I trust my people.

"I believe in Romania... European values have to prevail and this is what I believe will happen. "

Amid strong international criticism - which included a protest in Glasgow - State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States was "deeply concerned" about recent measures "that undermine rule of law and weaken accountability for financial and corruption-related crimes".