Radio România Internațional

Tag: county

  • Local elections in Romania

    Local elections in Romania

    Strict healthcare protection rules, including face covering, hand disinfection on entering and leaving the polling stations and physical distancing of at least one metre, were for the first time in history implemented for the local elections held on Sunday in Romania.



    The COVID-19 had already disrupted the calendar of local elections, originally due in June and postponed over the pandemic. All local elected officials saw their terms in office extended by 6 months, which fuelled voters eagerness to refresh local administration.



    In all, 41 county council chair positions, over 1,300 county councillor and 40,000 local councillor seats and around 3,200 mayor offices were up for election. The turnout at national level was 46%, which is only 2% lower than in the previous elections, when people were not facing coronavirus infection fears.



    The least interested in the vote were the citizens of the capital city Bucharest: only 37% of them voted, which is still more than 4 years ago. Bucharest accounts for one-tenth of Romanias voters, and except for the president of the country, the mayor of Bucharest is the one who gets voted by the largest number of people.



    The capital city is the richest in the country, with economic and social indicators above the EU average, and the most dynamic, in terms of demographics, and as such, the Bucharest mayor post is a trophy desired by all political parties.



    The new mayor of Bucharest is mathematician and civil rights activist Nicuşor Dan. The NGO he founded years ago, Save Bucharest Union, is the seed that gave rise to todays Save Romania Union, the third-largest party in Parliament. Somewhere along the way, for ideological reasons, Dan left the party he had started, but his candidacy was backed both by its former colleagues and by the Liberals in power.



    After he lost the 2016 ballot for the same post, Dan now won by a comfortable margin, defeating the outgoing Social-Democratic mayor Gabriela Firea. A high-profile anchor for a left-wing TV station, 4 years ago Firea was the first woman and also the first Social Democrat to win the Bucharest mayoralty.



    She ran for re-election on Sunday backed by the strongest party in Parliament, but with an image affected by a rather modest performance while in office. Bucharest is suffocated by pollution, paralysed by traffic congestion, with a bankrupt heating agency and still inadequate infrastructure.



    Along with Gabriela Firea, all 6 Bucharest sectors elected Social Democratic mayors 4 years ago. This year however, the candidates backed by the Liberals and Save Romania-PLUS won half of these seats.



    The competition between the 2 main political forces was tight across the country as well. Whereas the Social Democrats managed to keep many of their strongholds in the south and east of the country, the Liberals did the same in the west. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania remains the top player in the centre, where ethnic Hungarians make up a majority of the population.



    Voted by one-third of the people of Bucharest, which is equal to what the Social Democrats got and almost double the Liberals score, Save Romania-Plus won a few county capitals as well: Timişoara (west), Braşov (centre), Bacău (east).



    Although mocked by many, ex-president Traian Băsescus attempt to return as mayor of Bucharest at nearly 70 years of age and almost 2 decades after leaving this office did a lot of good to his party, the Peoples Movement, which went above the 5% threshold in Bucharest.



    Local election scores are, according to analysts, a starting point in designing the strategies political parties will adopt for the parliamentary elections due this December.


    (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • Local elections in Romania

    Local elections in Romania

    Strict healthcare protection rules, including face covering, hand disinfection on entering and leaving the polling stations and physical distancing of at least one metre, were for the first time in history implemented for the local elections held on Sunday in Romania.



    The COVID-19 had already disrupted the calendar of local elections, originally due in June and postponed over the pandemic. All local elected officials saw their terms in office extended by 6 months, which fuelled voters eagerness to refresh local administration.



    In all, 41 county council chair positions, over 1,300 county councillor and 40,000 local councillor seats and around 3,200 mayor offices were up for election. The turnout at national level was 46%, which is only 2% lower than in the previous elections, when people were not facing coronavirus infection fears.



    The least interested in the vote were the citizens of the capital city Bucharest: only 37% of them voted, which is still more than 4 years ago. Bucharest accounts for one-tenth of Romanias voters, and except for the president of the country, the mayor of Bucharest is the one who gets voted by the largest number of people.



    The capital city is the richest in the country, with economic and social indicators above the EU average, and the most dynamic, in terms of demographics, and as such, the Bucharest mayor post is a trophy desired by all political parties.



    The new mayor of Bucharest is mathematician and civil rights activist Nicuşor Dan. The NGO he founded years ago, Save Bucharest Union, is the seed that gave rise to todays Save Romania Union, the third-largest party in Parliament. Somewhere along the way, for ideological reasons, Dan left the party he had started, but his candidacy was backed both by its former colleagues and by the Liberals in power.



    After he lost the 2016 ballot for the same post, Dan now won by a comfortable margin, defeating the outgoing Social-Democratic mayor Gabriela Firea. A high-profile anchor for a left-wing TV station, 4 years ago Firea was the first woman and also the first Social Democrat to win the Bucharest mayoralty.



    She ran for re-election on Sunday backed by the strongest party in Parliament, but with an image affected by a rather modest performance while in office. Bucharest is suffocated by pollution, paralysed by traffic congestion, with a bankrupt heating agency and still inadequate infrastructure.



    Along with Gabriela Firea, all 6 Bucharest sectors elected Social Democratic mayors 4 years ago. This year however, the candidates backed by the Liberals and Save Romania-PLUS won half of these seats.



    The competition between the 2 main political forces was tight across the country as well. Whereas the Social Democrats managed to keep many of their strongholds in the south and east of the country, the Liberals did the same in the west. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania remains the top player in the centre, where ethnic Hungarians make up a majority of the population.



    Voted by one-third of the people of Bucharest, which is equal to what the Social Democrats got and almost double the Liberals score, Save Romania-Plus won a few county capitals as well: Timişoara (west), Braşov (centre), Bacău (east).



    Although mocked by many, ex-president Traian Băsescus attempt to return as mayor of Bucharest at nearly 70 years of age and almost 2 decades after leaving this office did a lot of good to his party, the Peoples Movement, which went above the 5% threshold in Bucharest.



    Local election scores are, according to analysts, a starting point in designing the strategies political parties will adopt for the parliamentary elections due this December.


    (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • Buzau County

    Buzau County

    Today we invite you to join us on a trip to the region of Buzau, in eastern Romania, famous, among other things, for the diversity of its relief. The region is home to large forests, the muddy volcanoes, old monasteries, caves, but also interesting museums. Buzau County is also a favorite destination for adventure tourists, as they can do mountain climbing, off-road trips, rafting, hang-gliding and canyoning.



    Usually, when we say Buzau we think of traditional produce too: bagels, the famous Plescoi sausages, babic, plum brandy and the Pietroasele wine. However, Buzau is more than that. Florina Florea, the coordinator of the Nehoiu Tourist Information and Promotion Center told us some of the stories that add to the attractiveness of the area:



    Florina Florea: “I would like to start with the Buzau rail station. Right at its entrance there stands a unique sculpture of ‘Ilie the eagle. The story goes that, between 1924-1942, an inn keeper named Adam had an eagle who liked to sit around the station area. In 1942 a German soldier shot him dead, and the local poet Bucur Chiriac wrote a poetry book in honour of the eagle. From the station, reaching the center is quite easy. The Communal Palace is, in the words of the famous historian Nicolae Iorga, one of the most beautiful town-hall buildings in the country and one of Buzaus gems. It is indeed a symbol of the town of Buzau. There are also several other things worth visiting in the center, such as the Dacia Plateau and a small but extremely beautiful church, which has been declared a historical monument.



    There are many events organized every year across Buzau County. The calendar of events can be downloaded from the website cniptnehoiu.ro. The most important such events are Dragaica, organized in late June, and Buzau Fest, which is held in early June, in the resort of Sarata Monteoru. Florina Florea told us more about this resort and other attractions in the area:



    Florina Florea: “The resort is famous for its salty water pools. Also, an adventure park was built in 2016, right in the middle of the forest. Also in 2016 the resort got the status of spa. But this is not the only place worth visiting. I would also recommend the ‘muddy volcanoes, 35 km off Buzau. These apparently boiling pools of mud have been included in the list of monuments of nature, ever since 1924. Then, from the muddy volcanoes, we can easily get to Ulmet and see the trovants, also known as ‘the living stones. These are geological formations of unusual and strange shapes.



    From here we move on to the Nucu – Buzioru area, home to a large number of rock-carved dwellings, used as religious sites. Florina Florea, coordinator of the Nehoiu Tourist Information and Promotion Centre, tells us more:



    Florina Florea: “We are working with a geography professor from the University of Bucharest, Cezar Buterez, who has been conducting extensive research in the area for over 10 years, and who is soon to publish a map of these dwellings. The area is lesser known to the public, and tourists will need a guide to accompany them. The best known of these sites is the Rock Church of Alunis. It was carved in rock by 2 shepherds around 1274. But apart from this one, there are many other such dwellings whose names indicate their religious usage.



    Tourist guide Florin Burgui presented us a less usual mountain route, one which covers some of these rock carved dwellings, with Poiana Cozanei as its starting point:



    Florin Burgui: “A first stop is at the Cell of Dionisie Torcatorul. They say that this monk, Dionysus, lived in this cell carved in stone for 30 years, only coming out once a week to go to church for confession. The rest of the time he would spin wool, which was brought to his cell. Just a few minutes walk from this there is a skete called Fundul Pesterii (roughly “The end of the cave). In my opinion this is the most important site of this type in the area, because in this cave, which is currently closed in order for the parietal drawings to be preserved, there are 137 carvings representing various weapons and dating back to around 4,000 BC. Then we reach Josephs Church. The route takes 8-10 hours to complete, going up and down through the woods. The route markings are not very clear, but with a little training it is no problem.



    Florina Florea, the coordinator of the Nehoiu Tourist Information and Promotion Centre, also invited us to an adrenaline-packed adventure in the region:



    Florina Florea: “I would end the tour of the region in Nehoiu, the mountainous part of the region, where rafting is practiced in Buzau River. From March until October or November, you can bring your friends to try whitewater rafting every day. This March we even hosted a rafting championship, with teams from Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Britain taking part. Last year, on December 1, we released, together with Prof. Cezar Buterez, a Visitors Map. So now you can easily find the most interesting and unusual sites in the region, and you are all invited to discover them.



    In short, Buzau County, an ideal destination for all ages, which is worth exploring in any season, is waiting for you.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Buzau County

    Buzau County

    Today we invite you to join us on a trip to the region of Buzau, in eastern Romania, famous, among other things, for the diversity of its relief. The region is home to large forests, the muddy volcanoes, old monasteries, caves, but also interesting museums. Buzau County is also a favorite destination for adventure tourists, as they can do mountain climbing, off-road trips, rafting, hang-gliding and canyoning.



    Usually, when we say Buzau we think of traditional produce too: bagels, the famous Plescoi sausages, babic, plum brandy and the Pietroasele wine. However, Buzau is more than that. Florina Florea, the coordinator of the Nehoiu Tourist Information and Promotion Center told us some of the stories that add to the attractiveness of the area:



    Florina Florea: “I would like to start with the Buzau rail station. Right at its entrance there stands a unique sculpture of ‘Ilie the eagle. The story goes that, between 1924-1942, an inn keeper named Adam had an eagle who liked to sit around the station area. In 1942 a German soldier shot him dead, and the local poet Bucur Chiriac wrote a poetry book in honour of the eagle. From the station, reaching the center is quite easy. The Communal Palace is, in the words of the famous historian Nicolae Iorga, one of the most beautiful town-hall buildings in the country and one of Buzaus gems. It is indeed a symbol of the town of Buzau. There are also several other things worth visiting in the center, such as the Dacia Plateau and a small but extremely beautiful church, which has been declared a historical monument.



    There are many events organized every year across Buzau County. The calendar of events can be downloaded from the website cniptnehoiu.ro. The most important such events are Dragaica, organized in late June, and Buzau Fest, which is held in early June, in the resort of Sarata Monteoru. Florina Florea told us more about this resort and other attractions in the area:



    Florina Florea: “The resort is famous for its salty water pools. Also, an adventure park was built in 2016, right in the middle of the forest. Also in 2016 the resort got the status of spa. But this is not the only place worth visiting. I would also recommend the ‘muddy volcanoes, 35 km off Buzau. These apparently boiling pools of mud have been included in the list of monuments of nature, ever since 1924. Then, from the muddy volcanoes, we can easily get to Ulmet and see the trovants, also known as ‘the living stones. These are geological formations of unusual and strange shapes.



    From here we move on to the Nucu – Buzioru area, home to a large number of rock-carved dwellings, used as religious sites. Florina Florea, coordinator of the Nehoiu Tourist Information and Promotion Centre, tells us more:



    Florina Florea: “We are working with a geography professor from the University of Bucharest, Cezar Buterez, who has been conducting extensive research in the area for over 10 years, and who is soon to publish a map of these dwellings. The area is lesser known to the public, and tourists will need a guide to accompany them. The best known of these sites is the Rock Church of Alunis. It was carved in rock by 2 shepherds around 1274. But apart from this one, there are many other such dwellings whose names indicate their religious usage.



    Tourist guide Florin Burgui presented us a less usual mountain route, one which covers some of these rock carved dwellings, with Poiana Cozanei as its starting point:



    Florin Burgui: “A first stop is at the Cell of Dionisie Torcatorul. They say that this monk, Dionysus, lived in this cell carved in stone for 30 years, only coming out once a week to go to church for confession. The rest of the time he would spin wool, which was brought to his cell. Just a few minutes walk from this there is a skete called Fundul Pesterii (roughly “The end of the cave). In my opinion this is the most important site of this type in the area, because in this cave, which is currently closed in order for the parietal drawings to be preserved, there are 137 carvings representing various weapons and dating back to around 4,000 BC. Then we reach Josephs Church. The route takes 8-10 hours to complete, going up and down through the woods. The route markings are not very clear, but with a little training it is no problem.



    Florina Florea, the coordinator of the Nehoiu Tourist Information and Promotion Centre, also invited us to an adrenaline-packed adventure in the region:



    Florina Florea: “I would end the tour of the region in Nehoiu, the mountainous part of the region, where rafting is practiced in Buzau River. From March until October or November, you can bring your friends to try whitewater rafting every day. This March we even hosted a rafting championship, with teams from Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Britain taking part. Last year, on December 1, we released, together with Prof. Cezar Buterez, a Visitors Map. So now you can easily find the most interesting and unusual sites in the region, and you are all invited to discover them.



    In short, Buzau County, an ideal destination for all ages, which is worth exploring in any season, is waiting for you.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)