Radio România Internațional

Tag: Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania

  • June 6, 2016 UPDATE

    June 6, 2016 UPDATE

    The Social Democratic Party has won Sundays local elections in Romania. According to partial results made public on Monday by the Central Elections Bureau, the Social Democrats won 37.47% of all mayor seats across the country, followed by the National Liberal Party with 32.98%, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats with 5.56% and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania with 4.61%. The Social Democratic Party also won most county council seats, with 37.55%, followed by the National Liberal Party with 32.15%, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats with 5.98%, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians with 5.84% and the Peoples Movement Party with 4.13%. In the race for Bucharest mayor, the alliance made up of the Social Democratic Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania won 43.53% of the votes, followed by the Save Bucharest Union with 29.76%, the National Liberal Party with 11.32%, the Peoples Movement Party with 6.31% and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats with 2.96%. The alliance of Social Democrats and the National Union for the Progress of Romania won 40.94% of Bucharest general council seats, followed by the Save Bucharest Union with 24.45%, the National Liberal Party with 13.30% and the Peoples Movement Party with 6.87%. Bucharest will have a woman mayor for the first time: the Social Democrat MP Gabriela Vranceanu-Firea. The Social Democrats and their allies, the National Union for the Progress of Romania, also won the mayor race in all of the citys 6 sectors. The one-round system was used in the local elections on Sunday, which are seen as an important test ahead of the parliamentary elections in autumn.




    Romanias president Klaus Iohannis started a two-day trip to Luxembourg on Monday, at the invitation of Henri, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Talks will focus on ways to boost political and sectoral ties between Romania and Luxembourg with emphasis on expanding economic cooperation and the cooperation in areas such as research, development and industrial innovation. An exchange programme for the 2016-2021 period in the fields of science and technology, education, culture and sports between Romanias and Luxembourgs governments will also be signed during the presidents trip. The preparation of the NATO summit held in Warsaw in July and the challenges facing the European Union are also on the agenda of Iohannis talks in Luxembourg.




    Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos travels to France on the 9th and 10th of June. According to a government press release, on the first day of his trip Ciolos will address a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. On Friday, he is due to meet his French counterpart Manuel Vals for the signing of an updated road map to the Romanian-French strategic partnership, and have talks with French president Francois Hollande. On Friday evening, Ciolos and Hollande will attend the France-Romania match that opens the European Football Championship.




    Romanian, American and British military are taking part in the SARMIS-16 multinational exercise that got under way on Monday in Cincu, in central Romania. 1,200 Romanian ground troops and Romanian Air Force planes, as well as 150 British and 200 American troops are taking part in this exercise, which comes to an end on the 18th of June. A large-scale military exercise will also begin on Tuesday in Poland, the largest to be held in this country in the last 25 years. Taking part are military from 19 NATO and four partner countries, including a detachment from Romania. Called Anaconda 16, this exercise takes place one month ahead of the NATO summit in Warsaw.




    The current absorption rate of European funds went up in May to a little over 69% for the 2007-2013 programming period, according to the Ministry for European Funds in Bucharest. The value of expense declarations stood at 13.1 billion lei. As far as the actual absorption rate in concerned, in terms of reimbursements from the European Commission, it went up to a little over 65% accounting for 12.3 billion euros.




    Romanias Simona Halep went up one place in the tennis world ranking to the 5th position. The American player Serena Williams is still no. 1 in the world, despite losing the French Open final to Spains Garbine Muguruza, who is in the 4th place in the WTA ranking. Three other Romanian players are in the top 100: Irina Begu, in the 28th place, Monica Niculescu, who fell two places, to reach no. 37, and Sorana Carstea, who remains in the 97th position.


    (Translated by: Elena Enache)


  • April 18, 2015 UPDATE

    April 18, 2015 UPDATE

    The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis will make an official visit to Italy on April the 27th. Italy hosts the largest community of Romanians living abroad, according to official sources. The agenda of the visit includes talks with the Italian president Sergio Mattarella, with the Italian PM, Matteo Renzi, as well as a meeting with Romanians living in that country. Since taking over the office in December, President Iohannis has made official visits to France, Germany, Poland, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.



    Romania’s NATO membership and the partnership with the US must be consolidated, the president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor said on Saturday. In his speech at the Union’s Convention, where he was re-elected as party president, Kelemen Hunor emphasised Romania’s geostrategic importance in the region and dismissed the statements of the Russian officials who criticised the hosting of American anti-missile system components. He also said Romania needs to absorb more European funds, to help develop each region. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania is the main political party representing the 1.5 million strong Hungarian community in Romania. A constant presence in post-communist Romania’s Parliament, the Union was also part of many successive governments, together with either right or left-wing parties.



    In Bucharest the Great Hall of the National Theatre was officially opened on Saturday night. The event marked the completion of revamping works and the complete opening of the building for the general public. This summer the seventh performance area of the modernised building, an outdoor amphitheatre, is also to be inaugurated. The revamping works on the National Theatre took four years and were funded by the Government and the Council of Europe Development Bank, with costs totalling around 65 million euros. More than 150 years old, the National Theatre in Bucharest is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in Romania.



    Ireland is a reliable partner for Romania within the EU, says the Romanian Foreign Ministry, in a news release issued on Saturday on the celebration of 25 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. According to the Foreign Ministry, a key moment which confirmed the quality of the Romanian-Irish relations was Dublin’s decision to give free access to Romanian workers in the labour market, in July 2012, two years before the deadline for lifting employment restrictions in the EU. One of the most dynamic components of the bilateral relation with Ireland is, according to the news release, the cultural cooperation. This included the organisation, in October 2014, of the “Days of Romanian Culture in Dublin,” a large-scale event that showcased to the Irish public the main Romanian achievements in music, film, theatre, literature and arts in the past few years.



    On Sunday at the European Gymnastics Championships in Montpellier, France, the Romanians Marius Berbecar and Andrei Muntean will take part in the parallel bars final of the men’s competition, whereas in the women’s competition Romania will be represented by Andreea Munteanu in the beam and floor finals. At the end of the championships the president of the European Gymnastics Union, Georges Guelzec, will hand over the union’s colours to the 2017 host of the championships, Bucharest.

  • April 18, 2015

    April 18, 2015

    The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis will make an official visit to Italy on April the 27th. Italy hosts the largest community of Romanians living abroad, according to official sources. The agenda of the visit includes talks with the Italian president Sergio Mattarella, with the Italian PM, Matteo Renzi, as well as a meeting with Romanians living in that country. Since taking over the office in December, President Iohannis has made official visits to France, Germany, Poland, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.



    Celebrating the 25 years since establishment and amending the party statute and platform were the main topics on the second and last day of the Convention of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, held in the city of Cluj-Napoca in the north-west. On Friday, Kelemen Hunor was re-elected party president. According to the secretary general Péter Kovács, the Union intends to strengthen its relationship with the ethnic Hungarians in Romania and to restructure its message towards the young generation. On this occasion, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said the domestic politics must be based on professionalism and good governance, which should benefit all Romanian citizens, regardless of their ethnic background. In turn, PM Victor Ponta called on the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania to continue to promote political and inter-ethnic dialogue.



    In Bucharest the official opening of the Great Hall of the National Theatre is scheduled for Saturday night. The event marks the completion of revamping works and the complete opening of the building for the general public. This summer the seventh performance area of the modernised building, an outdoor amphitheatre, is also to be inaugurated. The revamping works on the National Theatre took four years and were funded by the Government and the Council of Europe Development Bank, with costs totalling around 65 million euros. More than 150 years old, the National Theatre in Bucharest is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in Romania.



    Two major international military exercises take place in Romania, under NATO command. In the south-east of the country Wind Spring 2015 is under way, which brings together over 2200 troops from Romania, the US, UK and the Republic of Moldova. Until April the 30th, they will be practicing operational planning, live fire and complex tactical situation solving. Câmpia Turzii, in the north-west, is also hosting joint military exercises involving over 350 American troops and nearly 300 Romanian military. The goal is to ensure regional stability and security, in the current security context in NATO’s eastern flank.



    Today and tomorrow the city of Montreal, in Canada, is hosting the World Group playoffs of the Fed Cup women’s competition, between the teams of Canada and Romania. The Romanian players are Irina-Camelia Begu, Alexandra Dulgheru, Andreea Mitu and Raluca Olaru. The best Romanian tennis player at the moment, world no. 3 Simona Halep, will not be part of the team. Canada’s team on the other hand includes world no. 7 Eugenie Bouchard, alongside Sharon Fichmann, Gabriela Dabrowski and Françoise Abanda. Romania and Canada played against each other in the Fed Cup only once before, in 1983, in Zurich, Switzerland.



    The European Gymnastics Championships continue in Montpellier, France. The Romanians Marius Berbecar and Andrei Muntean will take part in the parallel bars final of the men’s competition, whereas in the women’s competition Romania will be represented by Andreea Munteanu in the beam and floor events. On Friday in the all-around finals, the Romanian gymnasts Laura Jurca and Diana Bulimar ranked 7th and 10th respectively. The gold medallist was Swiss Giulia Steingruber, who outperformed Russian Maria Harenkova and British Elissa Downie. At the end of the championships the president of the European Gymnastics Union, Georges Guelzec, will hand over the union’s colours to the 2017 host of the championships, Bucharest.


  • The Romanian political scene after the presidential elections

    The Romanian political scene after the presidential elections

    Three high-profile members of the Social Democratic Party, Mircea Geoana, Marian Vanghelie and Dan Sova, were expelled on Thursday from the main party in the ruling coalition. They were primarily accused of breaching the principle of party unity. The decision was made in the first meeting of the Social Democrat leaders after Victor Ponta’s failure in the presidential elections of mid-November. Surprisingly enough, the party did not punish the people responsible for losing the elections, starting with Victor Ponta, who accepted full responsibility for his failure.



    The Social Democrats also decided to hold a National Council and Congress next spring, in order to elect the new leaders of this left-of-centre party and to come up with a new political project for Romania for the coming 5 years.



    The next important test for the Social Democratic Party are the parliamentary elections due in 2016, but until then, the party intends to stay in power, as prime minister Victor Ponta explained:



    “We intend to present Parliament with a reshuffled cabinet and the budget for 2015, so as to carry on the good projects we have launched.”




    The prime minister also said his government would pay more attention to fields like education, healthcare and infrastructure. As regards the overall image of his party, Victor Ponta said its strategists would have to find a solution to prove that the Social Democratic Party has broken with its communist past and that it is a reformed, European political entity.



    While their leader’s electoral failure did not prompt the Social Democrats to take measures against those responsible, things were different with their partners in the ruling coalition, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Its president Kelemen Hunor on Thursday made public the decision of the party’s Standing Council to leave the ruling coalition, given that 80% of ethnic Hungarian voters supported the Liberal candidate Klaus Iohannis in the second round of the presidential elections. Kelemen Hunor:



    “We believe the vote in both the first and the second round of the presidential elections was a very clear message from our voters, and will not be looking for further explanations. We decided to strengthen our relationship with our voters.”



    The leader of the ethnic Hungarians in Romania also said the decision is not likely to trigger political instability, given that the Social Democrats and their other partners will still have a parliamentary majority. Moreover, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians vowed to support any measures that would benefit Romania’s citizens, including the Hungarian community.