Radio România Internațional

Tag: Constitutional Court ruling

  • March 10, 2025 UPDATE 3

    March 10, 2025 UPDATE 3

    VIOLENCE – Leaders of REPER Party have filed a criminal complaint on Monday for acts of public incitement and outrage in the context of Sunday’s clashes at the Central Election Bureau. The complaint concerns the public statements made by the president of AUR, George Simion, the mercenary Horaţiu Potra and the former independent presidential candidate, the pro-Russian and anti-Western extremist Călin Georgescu. According to REPER leaders, the two incited violence against state authorities, directly resulting in acts of vandalism and aggression against law enforcement in the center of the capital-city. The National Liberal Party (PNL) also firmly condemned and rejected any form of violence in public or private life. Over 500 people were identified in the area of ​​the violent protest on Sunday evening at the headquarters of the Central Election Bureau (BEC), and based on the footage of security forces and public sources, the individuals who committed acts of public violence will to be identified and prosecuted, the Bucharest Riot Police says. As a result of the clashes, 13 riot police officers were injured and taken to hospital, four of whom are receiving treatment. The protesters, supporters of Călin Georgescu, also caused destruction. The violence broke out after BEC rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for the presidential election in May. The Bureau invoked the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the presidential election at the end of last year, stating that Georgescu’s candidacy does not meet the conditions of legality since, by failing to observe the electoral procedure, he violated the very obligation to defend democracy, which is based on fair, honest and impartial suffrage.

     

    DISINFORMATION – The Romanian Riot Police reports that several accounts on TikTok and Facebook are running a disinformation campaign regarding Sunday night’s incidents in central Bucharest. According to the false narratives, the riot police beat women, used rubber bullets and tear gas, brought agitators to cause violence, beat people on the subway and used drones to launch tear gas. All these messages are false, the Riot Police reports, and are intended to manipulate citizens with the aim of provoking other acts of violence.

     

    CHALLENGE – Independent presidential candidate Călin Georgescu announced that he has filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court against Sunday’s decision of the Central Election Bureau to reject his candidacy for the presidential election in May. In response to the request, the rector of the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Remus Pricopie, filed a memorandum calling on the Court to maintain the ruling of rejecting Călin Georgescu’s candidacy, arguing that its registration goes against constitutional provisions. Also on Monday, a complaint against Nicuşor Dan’s candidacy for the presidency was also filed with the Constitutional Court. The Court announced that it will rule on all complaints filed so far on Tuesday. Announcing Călin Georgescu’s intention to refer BEC’s decision to the Constitutional Court was the leader of the opposition party Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), George Simion. The Central Election Bureau does not have the authority to reject a candidacy on the merits, George Simion argued, accusing the institution of committing an abuse. Simion called on Călin Georgescu’s supporters not to resort to violence if they continue to protest against BEC’s decision.

     

    MEDAL – Romanian athlete Andrei Rareș Toader has won gold in the shot-put event at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. With a throw of 21.27 meters, Toader managed to set a new national record. Romania ends the aforementioned competition with two medals, Toader’s gold and the silver medal won by Diana Ana Maria Ion in the triple jump event. Seven Romanian athletes took part in the competition in Apeldoorn. (DB & VP)

  • The structure of the new Parliament

    The structure of the new Parliament

    2024 saw local, European, parliamentary and presidential elections in Romania, and the young democratic state did not handle the election marathon well. On December 6, just two days before the second round of the presidential election, the Constitutional Court annulled the election, claiming the electoral process was encroached upon. According to the Court, the freely expressed nature of the vote was violated by a campaign seeking to disinform voters, one where independent candidate Călin Georgescu, the winner of the first round of the presidential election, benefited from aggressive promotion, circumvented national electoral legislation, by abusing social media platform algorithms and the lack of specific electoral advertising regulations.

     

    The victory in the first round of a pro-Russian extremist strengthened the entire self-proclaimed sovereigntist movement. Sovereigntist is the term widely adopted by ultranationalist parties, often with xenophobic and anti-Semitic, populist views, voicing fierce criticism against the EU and NATO, and spreading conspiracy theories. Three representatives of this movement, the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), SOS Romania and POT (The Young People’s Party) entered Parliament, the first with a very good score, following the December 1 parliamentary election, held just a week after the first round of the presidential election. For this very reason, DREPT party referred the election to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, challenging its fair organization. DREPT claimed that, throughout the November election campaign, foreign interference, illegal financing, neo-legionnaire propaganda and the influence of various underworld crime figures had been officially documented. However, the Court rejected its request to annul the parliamentary election, which means that, on December 21, Romania will have a new Parliament.

     

    The Social-Democratic Party (PSD, currently part of a ruling coalition with the National Liberal Party – PNL), grabbed the largest number of MP seats, 120, followed by AUR, with 93 and PNL, with 71. The fourth-largest parliamentary party will be USR – the Save Romania Union, with 59 elected representatives. The SOS România party, will be represented by 40 MPs, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians (UDMR) and POT, each by 31. The Chamber of Deputies also includes the national minorities group, which holds 19 seats. Two more parliamentary seats will be assigned. Two senators and four deputies will represent Romanians in the diaspora in Parliament. Given the fragmented legislature, a stable majority is needed to form a government, ideally by the end of this year.

     

    Inevitably, there will be a ruling coalition, whose urgent mission is to set the calendar for the presidential election. The pro-Europeans, namely PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR, had agreed to form a common front against extremism, but nothing is certain after the cancellation of the presidential election. President Klaus Iohannis is expected to remain in office until the new president is sworn in next year, and many have been quick to analyze his 10-year presidential mandate. (VP)

  • September 20, 2018 UPDATE

    September 20, 2018 UPDATE

    EU COUNCIL MEETING – President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday attended the informal meeting of the European Council held in the Austrian city of Salzburg. The President argued in favour of closer post-Brexit cooperation with London authorities in terms of foreign security and policy. Bucharest also wants the European Union to maintain a unitary and coherent voice in the negotiations with the UK in order to arrive at a Brexit agreement that is fair to all sides. Romania’s priority is protecting the rights and interests of its citizens who live in the UK and a close as possible a relationship between the EU and the UK after Brexit, the Romanian president also said. In terms of internal security, President Iohannis said Romania wants to strengthen European borders, both by means of regulations and by increasing FRONTEX personnel.



    MEETING — The leaders of the main ruling party in Romania, the Social-Democratic Party, will convene on Friday after an open letter signed by leading members of the party call on Liviu Dragnea to step down, both as party leader and as Chamber of Deputies Speaker. Cosigners claim Liviu Dragnea’s run-ins with the law have weakened the party’s position, particularly ahead of the European Parliament election of 2019 and the legislative election of 2020. They also want Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to be interim party president pending the organization of the next congress.



    REPATRIATION — Romanian Minister of Defence Mihai Fifor and US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm on Thursday attended a special ceremony in Campulung Muscel, southern Romania, hosted to welcome back the 30th Carpathian Eagles battalion. The mission of the Romanian military was to secure an important area around the military air base in Kandahar, in Afghanistan. They also provided training to the Afghan army. The battalion is mostly made up of military from the Dragoslavele 30th Mountain Troops Battalion who have also taken part in missions in theatres of operation in Kosovo, in 2005 and Afghanistan, in 2008. In April, the Mountain Troops from Campulung was the target of a car bomb attack. Eight military were initially believed to be injured, but in the end only one needed more thorough medical investigations at a hospital in Germany.



    EBRD — The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Suma Chakrabarti, has called on Bucharest authorities to step up reforms aimed at facilitating the development of infrastructure. Chakrabarti claims the EBRD is interested in funding investment projects in road and rail infrastructure and help privatize state enterprises. The statement follows after the EBRD president earlier this week attended the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest. So far the EBRD has invested over 8 billion euros in Romania.



    RULING — The Constitutional Court of Romania has postponed for October 16 the debate on the notifications filed by president Klaus Iohannis and opposition parties regarding the administrative code. The president claims the draft law was passed by the Chamber of Deputies in an unconstitutional extraordinary session. Several articles are vague and the code eliminates an integrity criterion for appointing members of Government. In turn, the notification filed by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union claims special pensions for local officials stipulated under the administrative code are in breach of the principle according to which all citizens are equal before the law.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu on Thursday advanced to the quarterfinals of the Seoul tournament totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. Begu brushed aside Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in straight sets. This is Begu’s first win against the Polish player. On Friday, Begu will take on Maria Sakkari of Greece.


    (Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)

  • January 20, 2016 UPDATE

    January 20, 2016 UPDATE


    VISIT – Romania supports all efforts to consolidate border controls and hopes this contribution will be recognized in addition to the additional Schengen accession criteria, which Romania has fulfilled, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said in Paris on Wednesday, after meeting with French President Francois Hollande. Dacian Ciolos pointed out that Romania was interested in joining a robust, consolidated and dependable Schengen area, supporting all initiatives in this respect. During the meeting the two officials also approached ways to intensify economic relations, common objectives in the fields of research, defence and education, the developments in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, with regard to the latters efforts to join the EU. At the same time Francois Hollande accepted the invitation of visiting Romania this year. Dacian Ciolos is also due to meet with Romanian BA and MA students at the Sciences Politiques University, as well as with representatives of the Romanian community. On Thursday, the Prime Minister is set to meet heads of French businesses and hold official talks at the National Assembly headquarters.



    MOLDOVA – The Moldovan Parliament on Wednesday passed the structure and programme of the new Cabinet led by Prime Minister designate Pavel Filip. The new Government got 57 votes in favour out of the total of 101. The head of Government thanked parliamentary parties for their support and promised to maintain a constructive dialogue with them, as well as with the opposition. A protest was also staged before the Parliament building. Unhappy with the vote, protesters forced the police security cordon, entering Parliament. Pavel Filip has this week been designated to form a new Cabinet, backed by a majority made up of Democratic, Liberal, former communist and a group of Liberal-Democratic MPs.



    MEETING – On Thursday President Klaus Iohannis is meeting heads of diplomatic missions to Bucharest. The president will outline Romanias main foreign policy priorities for this year. The new Apostolic Nuncio to Bucharest, his Holiness Miguel Maury Buendia, will deliver a keynote address on behalf of the diplomatic corps.



    RULING – The Constitutional Court of Romania ruled on Wednesday that the law giving special pension benefits to local elected officials is against the Constitution, as notified by the Government. The Court has found that the law is unclear, it discriminates between elected officials and fails to indicate the financing sources. On December 26, 2015, the Government notified the Court that some provisions in the law apparently breach the Constitution, in that they regulate privileges for certain local elected officials, they give special rights retroactively and fail to specify financing sources for the new benefits. The Government warned that there are at least 16,300 potential beneficiaries of the law, and the budgetary strain in 2016 may affect the stability of the fiscal-budgetary framework.



    DEFENCE – Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc on Thursday will pay an official visit to Brussels, where he will hold talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and with his Belgian counterpart Steven Vandeput. The Romanian official will also meet with General Petr Pavel, the head of the NATO Military Committee at the NATO General Headquarters. Mihean Motoc will also visit Romanian patients who suffered burn injuries in the Colectiv nightclub fire tragedy last year. The patients are currently receiving specialized medical care at the Queen Astrid Military Hospital in the Belgian capital city. We recall that 63 people were killed in the fire at Colectiv on October 30, 2015.



    BRUA – The BRUA pipeline, which will connect the natural gas networks of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, is a major Romanian contribution to enhancing the security of the EU natural gas supplies, by diversifying sources for Central Europe, says the Romanian Ministry of Energy. The Connecting Europe Facility-Energy Committee in the European Commission Tuesday validated the allocation of 179 million euros for the works to be carried out by the Romanian company Transgaz on the national natural gas transport system in view of the development of the BRUA pipeline. The Commission said the BRUA inter-connector is a key step to the development of the EU natural gas market, in that it will enable natural gas to reach Central Europe from the Caspian region and other sources. For 2014-2020, the Commission has earmarked 5.3 billion euro for the trans-European energy infrastructure.



    COLD WEATHER – The weather is extremely cold in most regions. The capital city Bucharest and 19 counties in the south and the centre are under a code yellow alert against extremely low temperatures. Skies will be overcost in most regions, while dense fog is expected in the morning. From Thursday until the end of the week, meteorologists have extended the alert against cold snap to the majority of the country, except five counties in the west and northwest. Minimum temperatures will range from minus 17 to minus 4 degrees, while highs will range between minus 9 and plus 2 degrees.



    MIGRATION – The European Commission is considering measures to distribute migrants more fairly across EU Member states, news agencies report. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, told the European Parliament on Tuesday that the Union has two months to bring the migrant crisis under control, otherwise the Schengen visa-free region may collapse. Donald Tusk also estimated that the EU as a political project would fail unless it manages to manage its external borders properly. He discussed strengthening border controls and stepping up the establishment of reception centres in Greece and Italy, where migrants will be classed as either economic migrants, to be repatriated, or refugees to be sent to Member States under the compulsory quota rules. Yesterday in Prague, the interior ministers of the Visegrad Group (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), reiterated their opposition to the compulsory quotas and asked for the set-up of efficient ‘hotspot’ centres. According to the figures proposed by the European Commission, Romania is to receive a total 6,351 refugees.




    (Translated by V. Palcu)