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The Republic of Moldova restarts relations with strategic partners

Around half of the nearly 4 million citizens of the Republic of Moldova are living and working abroad. It is thanks to them and the money they send back home that this corruption-marred country is not bankrupt. And it was also them who, in the mid-November election, tipped the scales in favour of the pro-Western Maia Sandu, who thus became the first woman president of this ex-Soviet republic with mostly Romanian-speaking population.

Shortly after the official results confirmed her clear victory against the former, pro-Russian Socialist president Igor Dodon, Maia Sandu announced her priorities—the fight against corruption, the reform of public institutions and strengthening a state able to ensure decent living conditions for its citizens.

In order to overcome poverty, the Republic of Moldova needs investments and jobs, so that those who are now living abroad may return and rebuild the country, analysts say. Foreign support is needed, and in this respect, ever since the first weeks of the new term in office Chișinău has made efforts to improve relations with its strategic partners, after Igor Dodon had frozen most external ties.

The first official visit to the Republic of Moldova was that of the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis—a visit designed, according to Bucharest, to convey a strong support message, both for the new leader in Chişinău, and for the citizens of Moldova, in their efforts to strengthen democracy, to implement the rule of law irreversibly and to consolidate the countrys European path. The visit was also symbolic, after president Iohannis had declined visiting Moldova for 5 years. On the day of the Romanian presidents visit, Vlad Țurcanu, political commentator and columnist in Chişinău, told Radio Romania that things were returning to normal:

Vlad Țurcanu: “In terms of emotions, we could say that blood is thicker than water, in the sense that, no matter how many political accidents we might have—and we are never safe from them in this quicksand land—at some point, things return to normal in this respect. In diplomatic terms, relations are at their peak today, after Mr. Iohannis avoided political and diplomatic relations with the outgoing president Igor Dodon. And after todays meeting, we expect other relations as well to be resumed, after this period of apathy. Although relations were not completely severed, as it happened in 2009 when a Romanian ambassador was removed from the country, there were artificial stand-offs in certain sectors.

Within weeks, we managed to restart relations with our neighbours and strategic partners, Romania and Ukraine, after a period in which top-level relations were frozen because of Chişinăus hostile policies to both Bucharest and Kyiv, Maia Sandu said in her turn:

Maia Sandu: “Another major partner with which we need to reset our relations is the EU. We intend to resume Moldovas efforts to get closer to the EU through economic and democratic reforms, able to turn Moldova into a European state, with European institutions, European-standard schools, hospitals and motorways, with a European future, to the exclusive benefit of all citizens.

Chişinăus departure from the principles of democracy at the time prompted Brussels to freeze, in 2018, most of its financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova. At present, determined to restore these relations, Maia Sandu has had meetings with all Brussels leaders. And she was given assurances that her country will be supported by the Union in its efforts to reform and to strengthen democracy, and in the fight against the COVID-19. In the coming period, Maia Sandu needs to strengthen her political position in Chişinău, analyst Vlad Țurcanu says. This year will likely bring early elections, to enable the new president, if possible, to rely on a parliamentary majority and a government backing her political and diplomatic efforts:

Vlad Țurcanu: “It is however quite possible for this first year of Maia Sandus term to be a year of sacrifice, of carrying on the battle against Dodon and the loose ends of the oligarchy, which are still rather strong. Because the billion dollars stolen in 2014 has returned to the Republic of Moldova and is wreaking havoc, in the sense that many politicians are bought and manipulated as desired by a particular person. But Maia Sandu is only at the beginning of her term in office. And having come out of nowhere to the top position in the state, I believe she still definitely has that energy that has carried her to the president post. She enjoys huge citizen support against the alliance of parties that are not willing to lose control over the system, over financial flows, and through this on the political class. And I have no doubt, judging by the signs we have at present, that the European Union will also support her through political and financial instruments, giving substance to her term in office. There is full openness in Brussels towards Maia Sandu. And the West will most certainly understand that, if left to its own devices, Moldova will continue to experience such accidents as Igor Dodons term in office was. So, Vlad Țurcanu concludes, a plan is needed for the Republic of Moldova to exit the grey area it tends to fall into every decade. (tr. A. M. Popescu)

5 February 2021
Strengthening the Romania – Moldova partnership

Within a week since Maia Sandu was sworn in as the new president of the Republic of Moldova, her Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis travelled to Chişinău. He was the first foreign high-ranking official received by Maia Sandu, since the latter won the November 15 election, thwarting the pro-Russian Igor Dodons hopes for a new term in office.

As Romanias Presidency had predicted, the visit occasioned a strong support message for the new president and for Moldovas citizens, in their efforts to strengthen democracy, to implement the rule of law irreversibly and to consolidate both the countrys European accession endeavour and its privileged relations with Romania.

President Iohannis announced that Bucharest will send the neighbouring state 200,000 anti-Covid-19 shots, 6,000 tones of diesel gas for farmers and at least 250,000 euro to support civil society and the mass media.

Klaus Iohannis: “I am glad that this visit to Chişinău comes against the background of a massive vote, by Moldovan citizens, in favour of democratic reforms in line with the EU integration values.

For Maia Sandu, the visit of her Romanian counterpart means the end of the international isolation in which the previous pro-Russian governments had kept the country:

Maia Sandu: “Im happy that as of today, the Republic of Moldova and Romania return to a natural, brotherly and open interaction. These days, the Republic of Moldova steps into a new era of ending its international isolation and connecting to the European space.

The 2 presidents signed a joint statement on strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, reconfirming their special bilateral relation, and Chişinăus commitment to its European accession programme.

An economist with an MA in public administration at Harvard, former adviser to the World Bank executive director, former minister and PM of Moldova, Maia Sandu, 48, is the first woman president of the R. of Moldova, 3 decades after the country proclaimed its independence from Moscow.

All analysts agree that the presidents task will be infinitely more difficult than the election in which she defeated Dodon. Maia Sandu is the leader of Europes poorest state, as relevant surveys indicate. She has taken over an administration riddled by corruption and filled with the former presidents cronies, and will have to work with an outgoing Socialist Cabinet and with a parliament controlled by leftists.

The new presidents most important allies are her countrys citizens, the European Union and, as always, Romania. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

30 December 2020
2020 – Rétrospective des événements étrangers

Pandémie

2020 – l’année de la pandémie ! Impossible de donner un autre nom à une année tellement particulière dans l’histoire de l’humanité. Impossible, également, d’imaginer les futures dimensions du désastre en ce 31 décembre 2019, lorsque les autorités de la lointaine et impénétrable Chine annonçaient avoir enregistré, dans la ville de Wuhan, 27 cas de pneumonie virale aux origines inconnues. Au bout de quelques jours seulement, le nouveau coronavirus était identifié par les chercheurs et le premier décès d’une personne infectée suivait peu de temps après. Très rapidement, des contaminations étaient signalées dans d’autres pays asiatiques, en Europe et aux Etats-Unis. Avec le temps, les infections se comptaient par centaines, par milliers, par centaines de milliers, puis par dizaines de millions… et les morts par millions dans le monde. Dans l’espace de douze mois, le nouveau virus a paralysé les économies nationales, a dévasté des communautés entières, a confiné à domicile près de 4 milliards de gens. L’année 2020 a changé l’humanité comme nulle autre avant elle, mettant son empreinte, probablement, sur toute la période d’après la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, considère l’AFP. « Cette expérience de la pandémie est unique dans la vie de chacun de nos contemporains. Chacun de nous en a été affecté, d’une manière ou d’une autre », considère Sten Vermund, médecin épidémiologiste et doyen de la Faculté de santé publique de l’Université américaine Yale.

Crise économique

La crise sanitaire quasi générale, avec ses tragiques pertes de vies humaines, a été doublée d’une crise économique et sociale provoquée par la même pandémie. De nombreuses compagnies ont fermé leurs portes, tout comme les écoles, les lycées et les universités. Les compétitions sportives ont été annulées. Les transports aériens civils ont été suspendus, les boutiques, les bars, les restaurants et autres boîtes ou discothèques ont arrêté leur activité. Quels en ont été les effets ? L’analyste économique Constantin Rudnițchi offre une réponse : « Toutes les économies du monde ont rapporté, au deuxième trimestre, des pertes dramatiques, suivies par des redressements, on va dire, décents, le trimestre suivant. Mais, dans son ensemble, 2020 sera une année de baisse économique assez forte. Nous avons eu des programmes de soutien pour les économies, pour la population ou les salariés. C’est ainsi que beaucoup d’argent a été introduit sur le marché ; ce fut donc une année de l’argent en quantité et peu cher, parce qu’il y a eu, d’une part, ces mesures, et de l’autre, les programmes d’achats et les politiques menées par les banques centrales pour sauver le peu qui restait. Il est tout aussi vrai que cette année sera clôturée sur des dettes très importantes à l’échelle de l’économie mondiale. Il faut voir comment ces dettes seront remboursées à l’avenir. Ce fut une année de fluctuations des marchés financiers, d’industries qui ont frôlé la faillite pour avoir été tout simplement mises à l’arrêt ou par manque de clients. En même temps, certains services, secteurs économiques et compagnies ont progressé, comme ce fut le cas du secteur en ligne, qui a gagné énormément de terrain. Donc, je dirais que cette année a montré au monde qu’un autre modèle économique est nécessaire », a conclu l’analyste économique Constantin Rudnițchi.

Election présidentielle aux Etats-Unis

Au mois de mai, par exemple, la pandémie a mené à la disparition de non moins de 20 millions d’emplois, seulement aux Etats-Unis. Avec une administration en pleine campagne électorale et qui a semblé dépassée par la situation, l’Amérique a été frappée de plein fouet par la pandémie : du point de vue médical, économique, mais surtout du point de vue social. Amplifiés par la crise, les courants conspirationnistes, anarchistes ou négationnistes ont pris de l’essor, et ont été encouragés à cet effet du point de vue électoral, ce qui a mené à une profonde division du pays et à des élections parmi les plus tendues de l’histoire récente. L’élection s’est achevée par la victoire assez claire du démocrate Joe Biden, confirmée par le Collège électoral, mais cela n’a pas apporté pour autant la désescalade tant attendue. Et ce car le président sortant Donald Trump continue de contester la régularité du vote par le biais d’avocats et de représentants républicains. Des centaines de plaintes pour d’éventuelles fraudes ont été rejetées l’une après l’autre par la justice américaine comme non fondées, ce qui n’a apparemment pas convaincu tous les membres de l’administration Trump ni beaucoup de ses partisans en Amérique et dans le monde entier.

Maia Sandu — la première femme présidente à Chisinau

En Europe, tout près de la Roumanie, avait lieu une autre élection présidentielle. Dans la petite République de Moldova, idéologiquement et politiquement divisée entre l’Ouest et l’Est, la pro-occidentale Maia Sandu est devenue présidente, à la défaveur du pro-russe Igor Dodon, qu’elle a étonnamment réussi à remplacer au pouvoir. Un événement salué à la fois par Bucarest et par les grandes chancelleries de l’Union européenne et porteur d’espoir quant au parcours européen de ce pays.

Israël et ses relations avec les pays arabes

D’autres surprises agréables sont venues du Moyen-Orient où Israël a normalisé ses relations avec un certain nombre de pays arabes, avec une médiation américaine – un succès incontestable de l’administration Trump sortante. Les Émirats arabes unis, le Bahreïn, le Soudan et le Maroc reprennent leurs contacts officiels et leurs relations diplomatiques avec l’Etat hébreu et rétablissent la coopération économique bilatérale. Ces annonces changent complètement les rapports politiques dans la région et isolent l’Iran — un des principaux ennemis d’Israël.

UE — budget pluriannuel et vaccin

Retour à l’Europe communautaire, marquée par la pandémie. Après moult discussions et tergiversations, le budget de l’Union pour la période 2021-2027 et les plans financiers de relance ont été approuvés par les États membres. Cela permet des investissements sans précédent dont la Roumanie pourrait bénéficier aussi si les politiciens de Bucarest travaillent sérieusement à cet effet. Commencée avec l’espoir que le nouveau virus ne se propagerait pas ici, puis qu’il ne s’agirait que d’une simple grippe, l’année 2020 s’achève par un autre : le vaccin salvateur. Approuvé et déjà utilisé dans plusieurs États sous différentes variantes, il donne à l’humanité l’espoir du retour à une vie normale, peut-être le plus grand souhait pour 2021. Avec la promesse qu’il sera fourni à tous, de manière équitable.

(Trad. : Ileana Ţăroi, Ligia)

26 December 2020
December 19, 2020 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT The 466 Romanian Deputies and Senators elected on December 6 Saturday started the procedures for taking over their seats and forming the new Parliament. President Klaus Iohannis convened the first meeting of the new legislative on Monday, December 21st. Representatives of the future right-of-centre ruling coalition Saturday continued their negotiations on the governing programme, after having announced on Friday night an agreement on the distribution of key positions in the new parliament and cabinet. Specifically, the coalition agreed that the Chamber of Deputies speaker position will be held by the Liberals, and the Senate speaker post will go to the USR PLUS Alliance. The PM designate will be the incumbent finance minister Florin Cîţu. The Liberals will get 9 ministries in the new cabinet, USR PLUS – 6, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, 3. The latter 2 parties will also appoint 2 deputy prime ministers. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party, which came first in the general election, insists that the fair solution in the current circumstances is a government of national union, headed by Alexandru Rafila, who represents Romania at the World Health Organisation. The Social Democratic president Marcel Ciolacu said his party will never endorse a government made up of the National Liberal Party, USR PLUS Alliance, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, which, he says, keeps Romania in an ongoing crisis.

COVID-19 5,158 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Saturday, out of nearly 25,800 tests conducted across the country. Another 188 COVID-related deaths were also reported, taking the total death toll to 14,296. 1,274 patients are currently in intensive care. Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 588,000 cases have been reported in Romania, over 493,000 of whom have recovered. President Klaus Iohannis warned that until enough people have received vaccines, all restrictions must be complied with. Containment measures are to remain in place during the winter holidays.

COMMEMORATION Romania continues to commemorate the heroes that died in the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989. Timişoara celebrates on December 20th Victory Day, when the city was declared free from communism. The uprising first started in this western Romanian city 31 years ago, on December 16th. The following day, the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu ordered the use of lethal ammunition against street protesters. On December 19, to cover the massacre, the communist authorities implemented the so-called Operation “Rose, with bodies taken from the Timişoara morgue to be incinerated in Bucharest. The protests in Timișoara, which left around 100 dead and some 350 wounded, were the spark that led to the collapse of the Ceausescu dictatorship a few days later, in one of the most violent revolutions in south-eastern Europe.

PANDEMIC India reported on Saturdayover 10 million coronavirus cases, the 2nd-largest number in the world. The US, the worst hit country, as of this weekend has a second vaccine ready for delivery, the one produced by Moderna, which is easier to ship and store than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The European Medicines Agency announced a decision on the Moderna vaccine is scheduled on January 6, while the Pfizer one will be approved next week. Meanwhile, tough restrictions are announced in Italy during the winter holidays. Restaurants and bars will be closed between December 24 and January 6, and so will most shops, except for 4 days. People will be allowed to receive only 2 guests at home, and as of Monday all citizens entering the country have to be quarantined for 14 days. Britain also introduced strict anti-COVID measures after a surge in infections, possibly caused by a coronavirus mutation.

SPORTS Romania won the silver medals in the European Artistic Gymnastics Championship held in Mersin (Turkey), on Saturday, after they held the best place in Thursdays qualifications. Romania was outperformed by Ukraine, which won the gold. Third came Hungary. On Sunday, Romania will have competitors in all the apparatus finals, with star gymnast Larisa Iordache qualified in 4 finals (beam, floor, uneven bars and vault). Ioana Stănciulescu will compete in the vault final, Silviana Sfiringu in the beam final and Irina Antonia Duţă in the floor event. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

19 December 2020
Consultations for a new Government

The results of the December 6 general election make it difficult for a new government to be formed quickly. The only landslide win—over two-thirds of the eligible voters, a record for over 3 decades of post-communist democracy—was that of non-voters.

The share of each of the 5 parties that have made it into the new parliament requires complex negotiations if a functioning majority is to be created. After the first talks with political party leaders, president Klaus Iohannis admitted that such a majority has not been reached as yet:

Klaus Iohannis: “This first round of consultations occasioned a good exchange of views between the representatives of these parties and myself, but I can say that the conditions are not yet met for appointing a candidate in a position to form a new government.

The National Liberal Party, the USR PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians promise to carry on negotiations. The 3 have a combined 244 seats in Parliament, out of the total 465.

The Liberals (affiliated with the EPP) and USR PLUS (Renew Europe) have come up with separate proposals for a new PM: the incumbent finance minister Florin Câţu, and the former PM Dacian Cioloş, respectively. They also disagree over a new speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, a key element in the constitutional architecture in that it filters around 80% of Romanias proposed legislation.

Here is the Liberal leader, Ludovic Orban, who recently stepped down as PM:

Ludovic Orban: “We will carry on talks and will try to find what brings us together, what can be supported by all the political parties involved in this negotiation, and obviously what we believe is right for Romania.

And the co-president of the USR-PLUS Alliance, Dan Barna:

Dan Barna: “This is a real chance for Romania to have a stable and balanced centre-right majority, with the potential to govern Romania for 4 years and to achieve the reforms that are so important for the country.

A constant presence in Romanias coalition governments, be they right or left of centre, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, represented by their president Kelemen Hunor, says the only formula able to ensure stability is a coalition with the Liberals and USR PLUS.

For the time being, the relative winner of the vote, the Social Democratic Party, is isolated in the new parliament. Its leader Marcel Ciolacu pleads for a national unity government:

Marcel Ciolacu: “We insisted that Romania is going through a difficult period and we cannot afford a fragile parliamentary majority. A national unity government is the best solution at this time.

A new-comer to parliament, the nationalist AUR party, represented by co-president George Simion, says that all they seek in a broad coalition government would be the education ministry.

In an interview to Radio Romania, political scientist Andrei Ţăranu warns that negotiations must not take too long, because the country needs a government to manage the anti-COVID vaccination campaign and to draft the state budget for next year. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

15 December 2020
Who is going to form the Government?

The results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Romania show that no party got enough votes to be able to form a Government by itself. Therefore, the parties that will be represented in the new Parliament – the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union- PLUS Alliance, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians – must hold negotiations on a majority that would form the new Executive. The president of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, who stepped down as Prime Minister, has stated that his objective is to form a government alongside partners of the same political orientation.

Ludovic Orban: I am convinced that, in the following days, negotiations will result in a government that will have the capacity to steer Romania forward and, more importantly, to prepare this country’s economic relaunch, once the pandemic is over.

In turn, the first-vice-president of the Social Democratic Party, Sorin Grindeanu, has said that the Social Democrats, now in opposition, have the legitimate right to give the Prime Minister and to form a parliamentary majority. Grindeanu believes that Sunday’s voting punished the country’s leadership for the way in which it had managed the health crisis.

Sorin Grindeanu: It was a no-confidence vote, for the way in which they defied a whole country, for the disastrous way in which they have managed the pandemic and the economy. The Social Democratic Party has the legitimacy to give the Prime Minister and to try and build a majority.

Sorin Grindeanu has also stated that there are zero chances for an understanding with the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, the big surprise of this year’s parliamentary elections, and a final decision will be made by the party’s National Political Council.

The Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance has announced it is ready to govern alongside the National Liberal Party and the Union of Ethnic Hungarians. The co-president of the Alliance, Dacian Ciolos, has stated a reform plan is needed, to provide credibility for Romania and the Romanians, as soon as possible. The other co-president, Dan Barna, has mentioned that any negotiation on the future governing coalition is to be held on the basis of the document titled The Revolution of Good Governing.

Dan Barna: …by creating a decent majority, able to carry through the commitments regarding special pensions and the elimination of immunities.

Newly established and gaining enough votes to be represented in parliament, the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians has announced it will remain in opposition, according to its co-president.

George Simion: The Alliance for the Union of Romanians does not trade its supporters’ votes. We cannot form a coalition with either the so-called left, or the so-called right.

George Simion has also stated that his party’s parliamentarians intend to first change the election laws, terming as ‘disastrous’ the way in which voting was organized abroad.

In turn, the president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, Kelemen Hunor, has said that his party will try and keep the balance within parliament. He believes that the new government should be formed as soon as possible, so as next year’s budget law to be adopted by the end of the year. (M. Ignatescu)

8 December 2020
06.12.2020 (mise à jour)

Elections – Plus de 18 millions d’électeurs roumains étaient
attendus dimanche aux urnes, dans les quelque 18.000 bureaux de vote ouverts à
travers la Roumanie, pour élire les nouveau Parlement du pays. Les électeurs de
la diaspora ont eu à leur disposition deux jours pour voter. Ils en étaient
plus de 740 000, dont plus de 39 000 avaient choisi de voter par correspondance.
Le ministère des affaires étrangères de Bucarest a ouvert 748 bureaux de vote à
l’extérieur des frontières roumaines, il a aussi mis à la disposition de
l’électorat roumain de l’étranger une carte interactive des bureaux de vote et
un centre d’appel. En Roumanie, les personnes habitant dans des zones confinées
ont pu se rendre aux bureaux de vote sans se munir d’une attestation de
déplacement dérogatoire. Tous les électeurs ont été tenus de respecter les
mesures de protection spéciales, établies par les autorités dans le contexte de
la pandémie de coronavirus. Les candidats, élus au scrutin de liste
proportionnel, briguent 329 mandats de députés et 136 de sénateurs. Deux heures avant la fermeture du vote, le taux de participation approchait les 30% en Roumanie. De même, plus de 255.000 Roumains avaient voté à l’étranger, avant 19h, heure de Bucarest.

Coronavirus en Roumanie – Depuis le début de la pandémie de Covid-19, la Roumanie a
enregistré près de 514.000 cas d’infection, dont près de 405.000 ont été
déclarés guéris. Bucarest a rapporté, aujourd’hui, 5.231
nouveaux cas de contamination au nouveau coronavirus en 24h, sur quelque 17.000
tests de dépistage effectués au niveau national. En même temps, 134 malades ont
perdu la vie, le nombre des décès s’élevant actuellement à 12.320. Par ailleurs, 1.289
malades graves sont hospitalisés en réanimation-soins intensifs. Par ailleurs,
selon l’Institut national d’hématologie, seulement 1% des personnes ayant guéri
de la Covid-19 ont donné du plasma convalescent, la Roumanie ayant récolté,
jusqu’à présent, un peu moins de 10.000 unités de plasma thérapeutique. Les
données officielles indique le fait que plus de 650 Roumains infectés par le
coronavirus ont guéri après avoir reçu ce type de traitement

Chisinau – Une manifestation a eu lieu, dimanche, à
Chișinău, capitale de la république de Moldova, à l’appel de la présidente
élue, Maia Sandu, et soutenue par la majorité des partis politiques
d’opposition, ainsi que par des partis non représentés au parlement. Selon
Radio Chişinău, les
manifestants ont adopté une résolution dans laquelle ils demandent la démission
du gouvernement socialiste pro-Moscou, dirigé par le premier ministre, et la
tenue d’élections législatives anticipées, à cause de l’adoption de plusieurs
lois controversées. Dans le texte
mentionné, il est affirmé que le régime oligarchique Dodon-Plahotniuc est devenu une source
d’instabilité politique, économique et sociale, à l’échelle nationale et
régionale, et que le parlement doit être dissout, conformément à la Constitution.
Les manifestants ont aussi demandé l’annulation du paquet législatif voté par
la nouvelle majorité parlementaire formée par les
élus socialistes et ceux du Parti ŞOR.
Parmi les lois contestées par les manifestants, il y a celle qui sort le Service de renseignement et de sécurité de sous
l’autorité du chef de l’Etat, une autre qui renforce le statut de la langue
russe dans la République de Moldova et baisse les quotas de programmes de
télévision en langue roumaine. L’Union européenne a remarqué le fait que ces
lois avaient été soutenues par des gens impliqués dans des actes de corruption
et dans la gigantesque fraude bancaire de 2014. Bruxelles a demandé aux décideurs
de la république de Moldova à respecter l’Etat de droit et à garantir la
démocratie, en accord avec les attentes de la société moldave.

Italie – Les personnes en provenance de ou qui ont transité
par la Roumanie devront présenter un test Covid-19 négatif à l’entrée sur le
territoire de l’Italie. En l’absence d’un tel document, ils devront s’isoler
pendant une période de 14 jours, informe le ministère roumain des affaires
étrangères. Ces mesures s’appliquent jusqu’au 15 janvier 2021. Le ministère de
Bucarest recommande que le document en question soit en italien ou en anglais.

Handball – La
sélection de handball féminin de Roumanie affrontera lundi la sélection de
Norvège, dans le dernier match du Groupe D du tour préliminaire, au Championnat
d’Europe, qui se déroule actuellement au Danemark. Les handballeuses roumaines
se sont assuré la présence dans les groupes du tour principal de la
compétition, grâce à la victoire obtenue samedi contre Pologne (28 à 24).

Météo – Temps morose et
températures à la baisse, voilà la météo dans les 24 h en Roumanie. Les
précipitations se répandront. Les températures maximales ne dépasseront pas les
11 degrés.

6 December 2020
December 4, 2020

Elections. The election campaign for
Sunday’s parliamentary elections is coming to an end today. All campaign events
have been subject to strict rules as part of the measures to contain the spread
of the coronavirus pandemic. A number of localities are in lockdown, but prime
minister Ludovic Orban said voters can travel freely to the polling
stations within these localities. 136 senator and 329 deputy seats are up for election,
including 4 deputies and 2 senators representing the Romanian community
abroad. The foreign ministry has set up
748 polling stations abroad with an interactive map of all of them and a
hotline for Romanian voters living abroad being also available. Voting is held
over the course of two days abroad, on Saturday and Sunday. More than 39,000
Romanians living abroad have registered for postal voting, with most
applications coming from the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.

Covid-19 Romania. Romania today saw 8,062
new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to more than500,000. 176 new deaths were also recorded, with the death toll now
passing 12,000. 1,275 people are receiving hospital treatment in intensive
care, the highest such figure so far. The Covid-19 national vaccination
strategy of Romania is being unveiled today in Bucharest after being approved
yesterday by the Country’s Supreme Defence Council. During a visit to a
vaccination centre in Bucharest, president Klaus Iohannis said the first to be
vaccinated will be the healthcare staff and the at-risk groups. He said
vaccination is voluntary, safe and efficient.

Covid-19 world. Global coronavirus
cases pass 65.5 million, with more than 1.5 million deaths. 45 million people
have recovered. The United States, which is the worst hit country in the world,
has more than 14.5 million cases and at least 282,000 fatalities. In Europe,
Italy on Thursday saw the highest daily death toll at 993, the total number now
passing 58,000. The UK, which has seen over 60,000 coronavirus-related deaths,
said it would start vaccination for at-risk groups next week. In France, prime
minister Jean Castex said it’s a matter of weeks before his country also starts
widespread vaccination. The European Union may approve a vaccine by the end of
the year, with the European Medicines Agency saying its longer approval process
is safer and based on more evidence and more checks. Interpol, the
International Criminal Police Organisation has warned that organised crime
networks may target Covid-19 vaccines and try to sell fake vaccines.

Asylum. Asylum applications for Romania have grown significantly,
even during the pandemic, according to a report from the General Inspectorate for
Immigration. More than 5,000 applications have been registered from the start
of the year until November, more than double compared with the same period last
year. 470 people received refugee or protection
status. Almost 1,200 applications were rejected, while the rest are being
processed. Most asylum applicants come from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Protest. Thousands of people took
the streets in the capital of the Republic of Moldova on Thursday to protest
against a number of bills, especially one that relocates the Intelligence and
Security Service from under the subordination of the president to that of
Parliament. The bill was proposed by the Socialist Party, which backs outgoing
pro-Russian president Igor Dodon. The pro-western president elect Maia Sandu
also took part in the protest, accusing the coalition between the Party of
Socialists in the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) and the Şor Party of trying to reduce the powers of the
president while the country is in crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Maia Sandu, who will officially be instated on 24th December, urged
people to mobilise for a new protest on Sunday. After Parliament approved
making the Intelligence and Security Service subordinate to Parliament rather
than the president, as has been the case so far, the opposition said it would
challenge the bill in the Constitutional Court.

Handball. Romania lost to Germany
22:19 in the opening match of the European Women’s Handball Championship which
got under in Denmark on Thursday. Romania are in Group D, where Norway defeated
Poland 35:22 in another match. Romania will next be playing Poland on Saturday.

Football. The Romanian football champions CFR Cluj
drew nil-all against the Bulgarian side TSKA Sofia on Thursday at home, in a
Europa League Group A match. In another group match, AS Rome defeated the Swiss
champions Young Boys Bern 3-1. CFR can still advance to the round of last 32 if
they win in Bern on 10th December. AS Rome top the group with 13
points, followed by Young Boys Bern with 7, CFR with 5 and TSKA with 2. CFR are
last Romanian team still in action in this year’s European football
competitions. (CM)

4 December 2020
November 23, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 President Klaus Iohannis announced Monday that the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be endorsed by the Supreme Defence Council in the forthcoming period. On Monday Iohannis had talks with ministers of Defence, Healthcare and Interior Affairs to discuss the campaign. Under the strategy, priority groups will include healthcare staff, vulnerable people, and personnel in key sectors. Klaus Iohannis emphasised that once approved by relevant international bodies, the vaccines will be safe, efficient and are the only viable solution to end the pandemic. Romania will receive 10.7 million anti-COVID-19 shots from the European Commission in several batches. On Monday another 4,207 new infections with SARS-CoV-2 and 130 related deaths were reported in Romania. The national death toll has reached 10,177. Since the beginning of the outbreak, 422,825 people got infected with coronavirus, over two thirds of whom have recovered.

ELECTION Citizens living in quarantined areas will be able to vote in the December 6 legislative election. On Monday Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said there will be no restrictions in this respect, adding that citizens infected with COVID-19 and those in quarantine or home isolation will be able to vote with the help of mobile ballot boxes. More and more towns and villages across Romania are going into lockdown as the infection rate continues to grow.

CoD Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu Monday opened the 32nd meeting of the Council of Democracies (CoD), held online this year. Aurescu reiterated Bucharests firm commitment to promoting the principles of the Warsaw Declaration, and its support for countries undergoing democratic transition processes. Romania is holding the Council presidency until September 2021. Founded in 2000 and totaling 106 member states, the Council of Democracies is the widest platform for exchanging views and know-how in the field of global democracy.

AID The European Commission approved a nearly 4.4 million EUR aid scheme for Romanian regional airports, to cover net losses incurred because of the pandemic between March and June this year. The scheme is open to Romanian airports with 200,000 to 3 million passengers per year.

TELEWORK Almost half (48%) of the Romanians currently working from home say they appreciate no longer wasting time in traffic, but over 26% say their emotional state is worse, according to a survey made public by Reveal Marketing Research on Monday. Among the advantages of teleworking, 45% of the interviewees list the flexible working hours and 42% the time spent with their families. Also, although 79% of Romanians believe they are as efficient or even more efficient than they were at the office, 44% say they are now working more. The survey was conducted this October, and included 600 people from big cities who are working fully or partly from home.

POLLUTION In Europe, better air quality led to a drop in the number of premature deaths between 2009 and 2018, but Europeans are still affected by air pollution, reads a European Commission report released on Monday. Six EU Member States (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland and Romania) exceeded the ceiling for fine particulate matter in 2018. According to the report, there remains a gap between EU’s legal air quality limits and WHO guidelines, an issue that the European Commission seeks to address with a revision of the EU standards under the Zero Pollution Action Plan. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

23 November 2020
November 16, 2020

Fire – Controls are being undertaken in ICUs across Romania following the fire that occurred on Saturday evening at the Emergency Hospital in Piatra Neamt (Northeast) which killed 10 patients. The patients, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and were receiving treatment in the ICU, could not be saved despite the efforts of the medical staff. The fire was caused by a short circuit, according to preliminary searches. Another 6 patients in a nearby room are in a serious condition. The leadership of the Public Health Directorate in Neamt said in a communiqué that in order the extend the ICU with a view to treating more COVID-19 patients, the ICU of the Piatra Neamt County Emergency Hospital was reconfigured on the day of the fire without having previously asked for an approval in this sense. Prosecutors have opened an in rem criminal case file.

Covid -19 Romania — The city of Sibiu, in central Romania, has today been quarantined for 2 weeks, after the cumulated contamination rate in 14 days exceeded 12 cases per one thousand inhabitants. The people of Sibiu will need documents from their work places or self declarations to be able to travel inside the localities in lockdown or between them. Shops will be open until 10 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday shops in shopping malls will be closed, except for pharmacies and food stores. People over the age of 65 can go shopping between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and religious services will be held in the open air. We remind that in 11 counties of Romania the cumulated rate of COVID-19 infections in 14 days per 1 thousand inhabitants exceeded 5 per thousand. Vrancea county (east) remains the county with the lowest infection rate (1.64 per thousand). Over 7 thousand new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours, most of them in Bucharest and the counties of Constanta and Brasov. 113 deaths have been reported, with 1,169 patients currently in ICUs.

Moldova – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Monday had a phone conversation with the President elect of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu during which they have agreed on extending and deepening the strategic partnership for Moldova’s European integration. A first step in this sense will be the official visit which the Romanian president is going to pay to Chisinau in the coming period, shows a presidential administration communiqué. Klaus Iohannis said that the result obtained by Maia Sandu represented a victory of democracy and marked a decisive step towards Moldova’s irreversible European path, which Romania has permanently supported and will continue to support without reservation. The pro-European candidate Maia Sandu defeated, in the 2nd round of the presidential election in Moldova, the pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon.

Gaudeamus – The 27th edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair organized by Radio Romania started today online. The event will end on Sunday and will unfold exclusively online due to the new coronavirus pandemic. On the website of the event gaudemaous.ro you can find more than 100 companies, among which prestigious book publishers and distributors, music and educational games, with individual presentation pages dedicated to the fair. Also book lovers can access the participants’ virtual stands and readers can buy books online. As many as 200 events can be followed online. Writer Norman Manea, nominated several times for the Nobel Prize for Literature, is the honorary president of this edition of the Gaudeamus book fair.

Covid-19 world — There are more than 54.8 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 around the world, with 1.3 million deaths reported, according to data provided by worldometers.info. The biggest number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 is reported by the US that exceeded 11.3 million cases of contamination. India has so far reported 8.8 million cases and around 130 thousand deaths and Brazil more 5.8 million cases with 165 thousand deaths. Europe is equally affected by the 2^nd wave of the pandemic, with France and Russia having exceeded the threshold of 1.9 million cases of infection. Spain is nearing 1.5 million and Great Britain 1.4 million. In London the PM Boris Johnson is in self-isolation after having been in contact with a person that tested positive for Covid-19. In turn, Austria will undertake mass testing for COVID-19 as of Tuesday until December 6, after Slovakia conducted rapid tests for approximately 3.6 million people of the country’s total population of 5.5 million. (tr. L. Simion)

16 November 2020
November 14, 2020

COVID-19 RO. The state of alert has been extended, as of
today, by another 30 days in Romania. President Klaus Iohannis has once again
called on the population to comply with the new restrictions aimed at curbing
the spread of the new coronavirus. The head of state believes that these
additional measures will show results in
two or three weeks. Since Monday, the hometown of the head of state, Sibiu, in
central Romania, as well as three neighboring localities are in quarantine for
two weeks. The decision was made because, in Sibiu, the infection rate reached
almost 12 cases per thousand inhabitants, signaling an intense community
transmission. Romania continues to report some 10,000 daily cases of infection
with the new coronavirus. Almost 1,170 patients are in intensive care. Since
the first case was reported in late February, nearly 353,000 people have become
infected with Sars-Cov-2, of whom about 239,000 have recovered. The total
number of deaths associated with Covid-19 has reached, in the same period,
almost 8,800.

PANDEMIC. The
restrictions imposed recently by the governments of many countries are starting
to show the first results, but the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is a
severe burden for all healthcare systems. The biggest pressure is on the
intensive care units. Almost 54 million people
have been infected with the new virus, of whom 38 million have cured, since the virus
appeared in China almost a year ago. The death toll has exceeded 1.3 million
worldwide. The United States, the worst hit country, with nearly 250,000
deaths, reported worrying figures for two days in a row. In Canada, Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau says efforts must be doubled to curb the epidemic. On
the European continent, Germany, Austria and Portugal have announced new daily records.
In Italy, the number of infections has tripled in a month.

ELECTION. The
neighboring Republic of Moldova is preparing for the second round of the
presidential elections on Sunday, when the incumbent pro-Russia president Igor
Dodon, runs against the former pro-Europe Prime Minister, Maia Sandu. In the
first round, Maia Sandu got the largest number of votes 36%, while Igor Dodon
won less than 33%. However, the final battle is expected to be extremely close,
and the balance could be tipped by the votes in the Diaspora for Maia Sandu or
in the Russian-speaking separatist Transdniestr for Igor Dodon. During the campaign,
the current pro-Russia president urged his supporters to hold post-election
protests if necessary, to defend his victory. As for Maia Sandu, she spoke
about the need for change and the fight against corruption.

ECONOMY. Romania’s
economy registered, in the third quarter of this year, an increase of 5.6%,
after a decline of 12.2% between April and June 2020 – according to data from
the European Statistical Office, Eurostat. It is the most severe setback, along
with that of Spain, in the European Union, where the Gross Domestic Product
decreased by 4.3% in the third quarter of 2020, compared to the same period in
2019. Eurostat data also show a partial recovery, after the European GDP
registered an annual decline of 13.9% in the second quarter of 2020, the most
significant since 1995, when such data were first published.

NIGHT OF
MUSEUMS. Museums and cultural spaces in Romania have planned for the 16th
edition of the Night of Museums festival, interactive activities on social networks and
on their own websites. At the same time, the institutions that carry out their
projects offline were asked to adapt to the new governmental measures regarding
the activities with public and to the night circulation restrictions due to the
pandemic. More than 60 museums and cultural operators from all over the country
have signed up this year to celebrate the Night of Museums, which is a European programme. Usually organized
in May, it was moved to mid-November due to the pandemic. Initiated 16 years
ago by the French Ministry of Culture, sponsored by the Council of Europe,
UNESCO and the International Council of Museums, the Night of Museums festival
mobilized in 2019, in Romania, over 150 museums and cultural entities, which
interacted with almost 1 million people.

FOOTBALL. All the players and staff members
of the Romanian national football team have tested negative for Covid-19, so
the Romanian squad can play the match against Norway – the Romanian Football
Federation announced today. The Romania-Norway match takes place on Sunday
evening, in Bucharest. Then, on November 18, the Romanians will travel to
Northern Ireland. Both League of Nations matches are important for the FIFA
rankings, which will determine the ballot boxes for the draw of the preliminary
groups for the 2022 World Cup. (M. Ignatescu)

14 November 2020
High-level Mandate

Against the background of the deepest division in Americas recent history, according to analysts, voters queued at polling stations in the United States – the country most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 99 million Americans voted in advance, either in person or by mail, and the total number of those who expressed their political choice exceeded the 138 million votes won by the Republican Donald Trump in 2016. Challenged by the incumbent president, Democrat Joe Bidens victory is set to be confirmed in the middle of next month, with the electors vote, but the implications of the change of guard at the White House are already under the analysts scrutiny.

Romanian political analyst Andrei Taranu talked on Radio Romania about the potential relaxation under the Biden administration: “Internally, in the United States, there will probably be an attempt to de-escalate the huge division that exists in American society and to try and resolve the tensions of a racial, social nature, related for example to the health care and education systems. Externally, it is still not very clear what to expect. Certainly, transatlantic relationships will improve, but we dont know how much. I think that the relationship with Romania is an already cemented relationship. I dont think bad things can happen to Romania, and good things are probably already unfolding. The Department of State, through the voice of the United States Ambassador to Bucharest, has said that there will be some massive US investments in transport, communications and roads infrastructure. And, from my point of view, the security policy of the United States will not change fundamentally. “

According to university professor Dan Dungaciu, to Donald Trump, everything that happened in the three decades before 2016 was a weakening of the USA. Thats why, during his term, Trump has focused on a more inward-looking America, which does not consume its resources abroad, and from this perspective he has changed almost radically the paradigm of Americas functioning at global level.

“Donald Trumps thesis on international relations was that for 30 years America spent trillions, trillions of dollars to be defeated, without victory in Afghanistan, without victory in the Middle East, and with the exception of Eastern and Central European states, it did not managed to attract almost anyone from the wake of the Euro-Atlantic world. The world built by America for 30 years, from Trumps perspective, was a world that drained America of resources, failed to resolve conflicts in the world, and, moreover, allowed Americas enemies to grow and develop. It is interesting to see if Bidens America returns to the pre -Trump paradigm and resumes its foreign policy vision, in which the world turns into America and America becomes the liberal hegemon that has been for 30 years. What Biden will do from this perspective is interesting to watch, but from my point of view, America will not return to the period before Trump, we will witness an America that will no longer be interested in many of the issues that are fundamental to us, as Europeans.”

China is Americas rival and even its opponent on various issues – this is the Washington consensus between Democrats and Republicans, verbalised differently at the public level, and from this point of view nothing major will change, says Professor Dungaciu, according to whom the coming world order will build around this relationship between America and China.

“This will be the equation through which we will have to read the world and depending on it, we will relate to the strategic and even economic reality of the world to come. As for the relationship with the Russian Federation, it will be read also in the framework of the relationship with China. The Russian Federation is today in the situation China was in the 1970s. At that time the great confrontation was between America and the USSR. China played between America and the USSR. Russia is now in a situation where it is a third party in the battle between the big guys. The Russian Federation will be very careful not to make decisive gestures either in relation to China or in relation to America, which would be perceived as an absolute alliance, and from this perspective, we should expect a diplomatic game of the Russian Federation, starting from the hypothesis that it is no longer a great world player, but it can play its chances or maximize its smaller chances that it still, at least theoretically, has. This is the context in which the Russian Federation will count, just how the European Union will count, also as a minor player with regard to the dispute between America and China. A player that China, by no coincidence, is courting with much more diligence on the economic level of their bilateral relationship. “

According to Associate Professor Valentin Naumescu, there will a Trump legacy beyond his presidential term. He also be lives that the Biden administration stands all the good chances of rendering the relations between the US and the EU normal, and that is probably one of the most important immediate consequences of the US election:

“This, Id dare say, the main benefit for Europe and even for the region that we are in, for the Central and Eastern Europe, because our interest is NATO, the alliance that provides the security guarantees that Romania and Europe in general need. It all depends on the quality, strength and credibility of the transatlantic relations, and these very relations have been seriously affected in the past 4 years. There are things that are hard to fix, that take time, and others that will no longer go back to where they started from.”

Unavoidably, Professor Naumescu believes, certain political accents, concerns, some protectionist tendencies, either economically or with regard to winning global supremacy will continue and will be taken over by the next administration. (M. Ignatescu)

13 November 2020
US mass media projection: Joe Biden wins the presidency

JUST IN: Joe Biden has declared victory in the US presidential
election and made his first speech as President elect, pledging not to divide
but unify the country.

While speaking to supporters in his hometown of
Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said: The people of this nation have spoken. They’ve
delivered us a convincing victory. A clear victory.

He vowed to be a president for all: I am a proud Democrat, but I will govern as
an American president.

Let’s give other a chance. It’s time to put
away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature.

The new president elect also made a call for unity: to make
progress we have to stop treating our opponents as enemies (…) We must make
the promise of the country real for everybody, no matter their race, their
ethnicity, their faith, their identity, or their disability.

Kamala Harris also thanked voters for choosing hope and unity,decency, science and truth,

Incumbent president Donald Trump has still not
conceded the election.

————————

European and world leaders have congratulated the US President elect and Vice-President Kamala Harris on their victory. Here are some messages from Romanian leaders:

The President of
Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on Saturday congratulated Joe Biden on his
victory, in a message posted on Twitter: I look forward to further consolidating our solid and dynamic Strategic
Partnership in all its dimensions. Romania will continue to work to
strengthen the security, prosperity and resilience of our transatlantic
community.

In turn, the President of the
Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu also congratulated the Democratic
candidate Joe
Biden: At the end of an election campaign that took place amid exceptional circumstances and with so much at stake, the American people have spoken. I welcome the election of Joseph Biden following a contest that
has captured the attention of the entire planet and I wish the new
President success with the important and difficult mission that awaits him! Democratic
nations around the world and US allies need an America that is involved,
vigilant and investing in its vital role as a global leader, strengthening the
transatlantic relationship with NATO and reasserting the importance of its
strategic partnerships, Ciolacu wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday.The Social Democrat leader gave assurances
that his party will continue to support the development and deepening of the
Strategic Partnership between Romania
and the USA,
as an essential component of a strong transatlantic relationship, in permanent
transformation and adaptation.

Dacian Cioloş, co-president of the USR PLUS Alliance and leader of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, also congratulated Joe Biden on winning the US presidential election in a post on social media: The US president elect has earned a well-deserved victory in this election, based on a substantial policy program, which addresses priorities that I also share and support both at European level and in Romania: a better performing healthcare system, well-targeted social programs for vulnerable categories and special attention to the digital domain. It is precisely in these areas that we would like to expand our Strategic Partnership. (…) Congratulations, Joe Biden! Congratulations, Kamala Harris, the first female vice president of the United States! I have no doubt that the USA will continue to be the same reliable partner to Romania. Dacian Cioloş also expressed confidence that the Biden administration would be open to introducing a visa waiver program for Romanians.

The copresident of the USR Plus Alliance Dan Barna also welcomed
the victory of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden. In a Facebook post,
Barna said the Romanians have always been reliable allies of America in the endeavors
to build a free, democratic and prosperous world. I am confident that under the
Biden-Harris administration, the Strategic Partnership between our countries
will acquire even more substance, something which will be reflected in an even
closer relationship between our peoples and governments.

————————

UPDATE: Democrat Joe Biden has defeated the incumbent US
President Donald Trump to become the 46th President of the United States of America, according to international
news agencies, after US media projections showed he would win Nevada,
Arizona and
Pennsylvania, surpassing the 270 electoral votes needed to win.

The former vice president in the Obama
Administration posted a message on Twitter, shortly after the US mass media
projected him the winner of the November 3 election: America, I’m honored that
you have chosen me to lead our great country. The work ahead of us will be
hard, but I promise this: I will be a President for all Americans-whether you
voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me, Joe
Biden wrote on Twitter.

The US incumbent
president, Republican Donald Trump, on Saturday accused Biden of rushing to
falsely pose as the winner and warned this election is far from over. Trump also
said his campaign would start challenging the results in court as from Monday.

The
US
saw the highest voter turnout in a century.

—————
Joe Biden is projected to win the race for the White House in a tight contest against incumbent president Donald Trump. Votes are still being counted, including in key battleground states, following the highest voter turnout in a presidential election since 1900. Also, a record number of Americans voted by post in these elections because of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Biden said it was time for Americans to come together as a nation, to unite and to heal. His running mate Kamala Harris is to become the first woman to be elected vice-president.

7 November 2020
General election campaign begins

The electoral campaign started on Friday in Romania. Almost 19 million Romanians are invited to polls on December 6, to elect the new parliament. This is the second election this year, after the local one held in late September.

For a while, the organisation of the general election this year was uncertain, after a bill was tabled to the effect of postponing it to March next year because of the pandemic. The bill however got stuck in the legislative process.

As was the case with the local election as well, the pandemic, with the strict containment measures it entailed, will not only be the first and foremost topic for discussion, but will also take away much of the colour and dynamism of the campaign. During these complicated times, rallies are just a memory. For indoor events, participation is limited to 20 people, and for outdoor ones, to 50 people. As regards other street events, groups no bigger than 6 people are allowed, and door-to-door teams are also limited to 2 participants.

The organisers of campaign activities are in charge with ensuring compliance with rules such as compulsory face covering and the visual triage of participants.

As always, a lot is at stake in this election. The National Liberal Party has been governing for over a year in difficult political conditions, with a hostile Parliament in which the Social Democrats have the majority. This is why the Liberals, backed by president Iohannis, are making it clear that they seek a parliamentary majority to confirm their success in the local election.

The Social Democrats, in turn, want a score as high as possible in order to preserve a strong position in parliament.

The Save Romania Union-PLUS alliance are at their 4th election test, after the successful campaign for the European Parliament in 2019, last years presidential election and this years local ballot, and are now trying to win enough votes to force the Liberals to ask for their support in the new government.

The leftist Pro Romania party, the right-of-centre Peoples Movement party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians will be merely struggling to make the parliamentary threshold.

Parties currently outside parliament as well as non-affiliated candidates are also running for seats. Ethnic minority groups other than the Hungarian also have one seat each allotted in the Chamber of Deputies.

As for the Romanians living abroad, they will be represented by 4 Deputies and 2 Senators. Over 39,000 Romanian nationals who live abroad have applied to vote by post, mostly from the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France. The polling stations in foreign countries will be open for 2 days, on December 5 and 6.

In the country, the vote will be held on Sunday, December 6. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

6 November 2020
US Election Day

Polling stations are closing across the US in the presidential election that pitted Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Joe Biden.

Although Biden was ahead at national level, polls were close in key swing states, including Florida, Arizona, and Georgia, making the outcome unpredictable. Florida is projected to have been won by Donald Trump, but the race is too tight to call in many of the other battleground states.

The campaign was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the handling of which was one of the major issues over which the 2 contenders diverged. But even so, the turnout was among the highest in the past century, with an unprecedented 100 million people casting their ballots early or by mail.

Mail-in and early votes also play a part in how soon the final result will be known, as some states allow ballots arriving after Election Day to be counted—provided they are postmarked by November 3.

Also, given the electoral college system used by the US, where winning the most votes does not necessarily mean winning the election, both opinion polls and exit polls may prove misleading and Americans may still have to wait days before they know who their president will be for the next 4 years.

The Congress line-up was also at stake on Tuesday, with the Democrats seeking control over the Senate in addition to their current majority in the House.

4 November 2020