Story highlights Proposed law would have decriminalized corruption and halted investigations into pending offenses

Nation has been rocked by days of massive street protests

(CNN) Amid ongoing nationwide protests, the Romanian government has scrapped a bill that would have protected many politicians from being prosecuted for corruption.

The official repeal of the corruption decree was announced Sunday in a government statement after an emergency meeting of Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu's Cabinet.

The announcement and a nationally televised address by the Prime Minister a day earlier did little to stem anger over the now-abandoned corruption decree.

Massive rallies were held across the nation on Sunday, including at Victory Square in the capital of Bucharest.

At 9 p.m., protesters turned on their cell phone lights and pointed them at the sky, creating a sea of bright pinpoints. They sang the national anthem and later went silent for five minutes in memory of the heroes of the 1989 revolution that overthrew Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu.

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