Radio România Internațional

Tag: election in France

  • June 20, 2022

    June 20, 2022

    3SI – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, is today attending the 7th
    edition of the Three Seas Initiative Summit and the 4th edition of
    the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum, both hosted by Riga, Latvia. Leaders
    of 3SI participant states will look at approaches to the current security
    framework in Europe in the context of the war in Ukraine. Participants will
    also discuss the contribution of the Three Seas Initiative by implementing
    strategic interconnection projects in the three key sectors of 3SI: transport,
    energy and digital infrastructure. According to the Romanian presidency,
    president Klaus Iohannis will reiterate Romania’s support for Ukraine at both
    bilateral and multilateral levels. At the same time, Klaus Iohannis will
    highlight the importance of providing the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and
    Ukraine with support in their efforts to join the European Union. The Three
    Seas Initiative is a political platform bringing together 12 EU Member States
    located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas.




    MEETING – EU Foreign Ministers are today meeting in Luxembourg to
    discuss ways of getting millions of tons of grain out of Ukraine. Ukraine is
    currently unable to export its grain due to the Russian blockade in the Black
    Sea. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters. Over 20 million
    tons of grain are currently stockpiled in silos as a result of the Russian
    invasion. Moscow denies any responsibility for the food crisis and claims
    Western sanctions are responsible for the increase in food prices at global
    level and the shortage of food in underdeveloped countries that rely on grain
    imports.




    REFUGEES – The Border Police
    Inspectorate announced that 9,231 Ukrainian citizens entered on Sunday in
    Romania, down by 15% compared to the previous day. Some 1.2 million Ukrainian
    refugees have entered Romania since the start in the war in Ukraine on February
    24. In a message marking World Refugee Day on June 20, Prime Minister Nicolae
    Ciucă recalls that Romania displayed
    solidarity with Ukrainian refugees and will continue to provide them with all
    the necessary conditions to ensure their social and economic integration. The
    Prime Minister also said that, of the total number of Ukrainian refugees who
    entered Romania, 80,000 chose to stay, opting for the protection and security Romania
    provides.




    COMMEMORATION – Defense Minister Vasile Dîncu is today attending the unveiling of a
    monument devoted to the Romanian military who died in World War I and were
    entombed in Italy. The ceremony is hosted by the city of Bolzano in northern
    Italy. Minister Dîncu will
    also meet his Italian counterpart, Lorenzo Guerini. Representing a Latin marble
    cross, the war monument was built as part of a project carried out in 2021.




    BACCALAUREATE – The written tests of
    the Baccalaureate exam are scheduled this week. Over 126 thousand high school
    graduates have signed up for the exam, the lowest number reported since the
    1989 anticommunist revolution. Today pupils took the Romanian language and
    literature test. Tomorrow they will sit the specialty exam, while on Wednesday
    they will take the exam in a subject of their choice. On Thursday, pupils
    belonging to national minorities will take the mother tongue test.




    MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies is
    today debating a simple motion filed by USR in opposition against Education
    Minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu,
    with the vote scheduled on Wednesday. USR claims Minister Cîmpeanu is responsible for the disaster in
    the education system, blaming him for the high school dropout rate and for
    operating changes in the way pupils are examined without consulting
    stakeholders.




    ELECTION IN FRANCE – The center-Liberal presidential alliance Ensemble! has lost the absolute majority
    in the Assemblée Nationale, following Sunday’s second round of the legislative
    election. Emmanuel Macron’s coalition grabbed 245 seats, 40 seats short of
    securing absolute majority. Ensemble! will
    face two opposition forces: the left-wing alliance NUPES, made up of the
    Communist, Green and Socialist parties, which grabbed 135 seats, and the
    far-right party National Rally led by Marine Le Pen, which surprisingly won 89
    seats. Therefore, Ensemble! has two
    choices: form a minority government or a government coalition with the traditional
    right, which won 61 seats. If none of the solutions works out, the ensuing
    political crisis might prompt the president to dissolve Parliament and call
    snap elections.




    SWIMMING – Romanian swimmers Robert Glință and David Popovici on Sunday qualified
    to the finals of the 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle events, respectively,
    at the World Swimming Championships hosted by Budapest, Hungary. Robert Glință qualified to the 100m backstroke
    event from the 8th position in the semi-finals, after finishing 13th
    in the qualifying heats. David Popovici grabbed the best result in the
    semi-finals, setting a new world junior record, after also grabbing the top
    position in the qualifying heats. Popovici is competing in his first senior
    championship. So far, Romania’s medal sheet in the World Championships includes
    2 gold, 1 silver and 6 bronze. The gold medals were won by Tamara Costache in
    1986 and Diana Mocanu in 2001, while the last medal was won by Camelia Potec in
    2009. (VP)





  • June 18, 2022

    June 18, 2022

    3SI – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, will attend the 7th
    edition of the Three Seas Initiative Summit and the 4th edition of
    the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum, both hosted by Riga, Latvia on
    Monday. Leaders of 3SI participant states will look at approaches to the
    current security framework in Europe in the context of the war in Ukraine.
    Participants will also discuss the contribution of the Three Seas Initiative by
    implementing strategic interconnection projects in the three key sectors of 3SI:
    transport, energy and digital infrastructure. According to the Romanian
    presidency, president Klaus Iohannis will reiterate Romania’s support for
    Ukraine at both bilateral and multilateral levels. At the same time, Klaus
    Iohannis will highlight the importance of providing the Republic of Moldova,
    Georgia and Ukraine with support in their efforts to join the European Union.
    The Three Seas Initiative is a political platform bringing together 12 EU
    Member States located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas.




    REFUGEES – The Police General Inspectorate announced that 9,147
    Ukrainian citizens entered Romania on Friday, down by 6% compared to the
    previous day. Since the start of the war in neighboring Ukraine on February 24,
    some 1.2 million refugees have entered the country. On the other hand,
    Bucharest has joined European cities hosting charity concerts designed to raise
    funds to provide medical equipment to hospitals in Ukraine and support artists
    in this country. The main squares in capitals or cities in Poland, the Czech
    Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy or Spain were redesigned to host cultural
    events. In Bucharest, a stage was set up in George Enescu square on Saturday to
    host a concert.




    MOLDOVA – A joint session of the Romanian and Moldovan Parliaments
    was held on Saturday in Chișinău.
    This is the first time such an event takes place. Romanian and Moldovan MPs
    conveyed a joint message in support of Moldova being granted EU candidate
    status. Attending the meeting was Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu, who
    expressed hope Moldova should be granted EU candidate status. In response to
    Friday’s recommendation issued by the European Commission, president Sandu says
    the candidate status will represent a long-expected result, and that Chișinău will rely on Bucharest’s
    support while moving forward. The future of the Republic of Moldova is in the
    great European family, and Romania is and will be Moldova’s most trusted
    partner, the speaker of the Romanian Senate, Florin Cîțu, said in turn. The
    speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, also said Romania
    and the Republic of Moldova must work together to ensure better living
    standards for their citizens.




    ELECTION IN
    FRANCE – This weekend will see the second round of legislative elections
    taking place in France. On Saturday, French citizens in overseas territories
    and living abroad will be able to cast their votes, while citizens in
    continental France will hit polling stations on Saturday. The vote will
    determine the balance of power in the Assemblée Nationale, between the presidential
    coalition Ensemble! and the left-wing alliance NUPES. None of the two
    election blocs managed to secure absolute majority in the French Parliament,
    thus extending uncertainty over the future government. Led by Jean-Luc
    Mélenchon, NUPES grabbed good scores in the first round, as did Marine Le Pen’s
    National Rally. The two parties hope to prevent Emmanuel Macron from securing a
    Parliament majority that would help him implement his agenda.




    TIFF – The city of Cluj-Napoca in northwestern Romania is hosting
    the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF). This year’s edition
    started with a special screening of one of the most anticipated films of the
    year, The Janes, a story about a few
    courageous women who changed the world. Late on Friday night, pop vocalist
    Corina Chiriac gave a concert. Running until June 26, TIFF will consist of 350
    screenings in Cluj, which UNESCO designated City of Film. Dozens of Romanian
    and foreign guests from the world of cinematography are expected to attend the
    2022 edition.




    GYMNASTICS
    – 12 athletes are representing Romania in the World Aerobic Gymnastics
    Championships hosted by Guimarães,
    Portugal over June 16-18. On Friday, Romania won silver in the team event. Also
    on Friday, in the trio event, the team made up of Gabriel Bocşer, Miruna
    Iordache and Daniel Ţavoc
    ranked fourth, while the team made up of Claudia Gheorghe, Leonard Manta and
    Antonio Surdu finished in 7th place.




    TENNIS -
    Romanian tennis players Sorana Cîrstea and Simona Halep are today competing in
    the semi-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Birmingham, totaling some 250
    thousand dollars in prizes. In the first semi-final, Cîrstea will take on Shuai Zhang of China, the
    competition’s eighth seed. In the second semi-final, Simona Halep will
    go up against Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil. (VP)

  • April 11, 2022

    April 11, 2022

    PLAN – Ruling coalition
    leaders are today expected to announce the final form of the support package addressing
    the population and the economy, in the context of soaring prices across the
    board. The list of measures includes an increase in the meal allowance for
    inpatients, an increase of meal vouchers and further vouchers addressing
    vulnerable categories. The minimum salary is also expected to go up, although
    employers will decide if they want to implement the measure or not.
    Additionally, the authorities will also allow people to postpone the payment of
    bank installments, a measure previously introduced during the pandemic as well.
    Further support will be given to transporters, whose fuel purchases will be
    partly subsidized, whereas grants will be awarded to SMEs. Liberal prime
    minister Nicolae Ciucă said the package will help keep the economy going and
    protect vulnerable citizens. In turn, PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu pointed out
    this is the first time the Government comes up with such an initiative. The
    plan is worth some €3.5 billion, of which €1.4 billion will be covered by the
    EU.




    DEBATE – The Chamber of Deputies
    is today debating a simple motion filed by USR against Environment Minister,
    Tanczos Barna. The vote is scheduled for Wednesday. The opposition party claims
    the UDMR minister in the ruling coalition government is to be blamed for
    illegal logging, for the destruction of the environment, the state’s inability
    to tap into green economy opportunities and the contempt shown to civil society
    whenever the latter signals environment issues.




    MEETING – EU Foreign
    Ministers are today examining the sixth package of sanctions against Moscow
    during their meeting in Luxembourg. The EU’s 27 Foreign Ministers have their
    differences over a possible ban on Russian energy. Germany, Italy, Austria and
    Hungary are largely reliant on Russian gas imports. Ukraine’s president,
    Volodymyr Zelensky, has constantly asked European leaders to adopt harsher
    sanctions, including to stop purchasing oil and fuel from Russia and to
    provide Ukrainian forces with heavy weapons in order to resist the Russian
    attacks in Donbas. According to several European diplomats, EU Ministers are
    expected to disburse another €500 million to fund a new delivery of weapons to
    Kyiv.




    VISIT – Projects on future
    mobility in the EU have three key words – sustainability, performance and
    resilience, EU Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, said on the sidelines of Monday’s conference about the future of
    Europe hosted by Bucharest. The EU official expressed hope Romania’s infrastructure
    should improve in terms of quality in the shortest time possible. On Tuesday,
    Commissioner Vălean will attend a videoconference with the ministers of
    transport of Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Adina Vălean said she wants to discuss with Bucharest officials about a better
    absorption of European funds devoted to infrastructure and to find solutions
    for the rail, road, river and maritime transport of goods from Ukraine and the
    Republic of Moldova.




    REFUGEES – Over 85,000 people, of whom 7,915 Ukrainian
    citizens entered Romania on Sunday. According to a Border Police release, a
    little over 677 thousand Ukrainians have reached Romania since the start of the
    war in Ukraine, most of whom were headed to Western Europe.


    GROWTH FORECAST – The World Bank has
    downgraded its economic growth forecast for Romania this year, from 4.3% in
    January to 1.9%. According to the World bank, economic uncertainty has gone up,
    particularly as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The World Bank has
    upgraded its economic growth forecast for Romania in 2023 to 4.1%, while its
    forecast for 2024 stands at 4.3%.




    ELECTION IN FRANCE – Emmanuel
    Macron will face the leader of the far right, Marine Le Pen in the presidential
    runoff scheduled for April 24, following the result of Sunday’s first round of
    the French presidential election. Both will be trying to secure the votes of
    the other candidates, although experts believe young voters of the radical left
    will decide the vote. The traditional right and left wing parties that ruled
    France for over 60 years have been again eliminated from the first round after
    obtaining embarrassingly low scores. Conversely, the radical left and right
    wings continue to gain ground. (VP)









  • April 23, 2017

    April 23, 2017

    ELECTION IN FRANCE — Over 47 million French are on Sunday expected to hit the polls to vote in the first round of the presidential election, seen as underlying the future of the European Union. Following Thursday’s terrorist attack on Champs Elysee, authorities have strengthened security. 50,000 law enforcement officers and 7,000 military have been mustered. For the first time in over 60 years, the acting president Francois Hollande is not seeking a second term in office. Another novelty might be that the candidates of the two largest factions, the Socialist Party and the Republican Party, might be eliminated from the first round. Of the 11 candidates enrolled in the race, Emmanuel Macron, representing the moderate center, Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Front candidate, Francois Fillon, the former Prime Minister and the far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melanchon are among the favorites.



    AVALANCHE — Saturday’s avalanche in Retezat Mountains killed two teenagers, 13-year-old Dor Geta Popescu and 14-year-old Erik Gulacsi, both professional climbers enrolled in a sports club in Brasov. The local mountain rescue service has warned against imminent avalanche risks. Dor Geta Popescu was the holder of six world titles and a European trophy. At 10 years of age she became the world’s youngest climber to summit Ararat, at an altitude of 5,000 meters. Erik Gulacsi last year was designated the youngest European climber to summit Aconcagua Peak in Argentina, at over 6,900 meters, the highest in America. The police is investigating the tragedy.



    SPEECH — Romanian Crown Princess Margareta will deliver a speech before Parliament on April 26, marking the anniversary of 100 years since Iasi was named the capital of the Kingdom of Romania between 1916-1918 and the City of the Great Unification”. The event celebrates the adoption 100 years ago of the laws reforming the Romanian modern state, the agrarian law and the election law, both adopted by the Senate and the Deputies’ Assembly. According to a press release issued on Suday, political and legislative measures adopted by the Parliament that fled to Iasi during the Great War, are the expression of a concerted political effort on behalf of all the parties making up the Constituent Assembly, as expressed by King Ferdinand in his opening speech in the Parliament plenary session of December 15, 1917. We recall that after the Great War, all of Romania’s historical provinces were united under one single entity, the Kingdom of Romania.



    GYMNASTICS — Romanian athlete Marian Dragulescu is today competing in the vault event at the European Gymnastics Championships hosted by Cluj-Napoca, northwestern Romania. On Saturday, Dragulescu won gold in the floor event. Aged 36, Marian Dragulescu holds the most European gold medals, 10. Also today, in the women’s competition, Romanians Catalina Ponor and Larisa Iordache are competing in the beam final. Cluj is hosting the European Gymnastics Championships 60 years after the last edition was held in Romania. A total of 274 athletes from 37 countries are taking part in the event.



    TENNIS — Simona Halep on Sunday defeated Johanna Konta of Great Britain, 6-1, 6-3 in the third rubber of the Fedcup match pitting Romania against Great Britain. The match is a playoff game for remaining in the Second World Group. The aggregate score is now 2-1 for Romania. On Saturday, Halep defeated Heather Watson in the first game, while Konta beat Sorana Cirstea in the second. Irina Begu will next play Heather Watson. The doubles match will be played later today. We recall that Saturday’s match between Konta and Cirstea was interrupted due to an incident caused by Romanian coach Ilie Nastase, who was sent off after swearing at the umpire and verbally abusing Johanna Konta and the British coach. The ITF is investigating the case. (Translated by V. Palcu)