Romanian court sentences head of ruling party to prison term

Romania’s Supreme Court has sentenced Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the ruling Social Democrat Party and speaker of the lower chamber of the national parliament, to 3.5 years in prison for inciting others to abuse power. He already has a prior conviction for vote-rigging, which bars him from taking the office of prime minister. Dragnea denied wrongdoing and is expected to appeal the verdict, with the sentence suspended until a final ruling on the case, which can take months. Some 5,000 protesters took to the streets of Bucharest in the wake of the verdict, demanding his resignation, as well as that of Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.