Radio România Internațional

Tag: elections in Romania

  • December 5, 2016 UPDATE

    December 5, 2016 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS – This is the last week of the election campaign for the December 11th parliamentary elections in Romania. According to the legislation in force, the campaign ends on Saturday, December 10. Until then, those who want to become senators or deputies can present their political agenda and electoral offers through posters, rallies, meetings with the voters and the media. The radio and TV campaign ends on December 9th. There are 6500 people running for 136 senator and 330 deputy seats.



    ANTI-CORRUPTION – An action titled ‘The anti-corruption week at the borders has been launched in Romania. The citizens who will cross the border between Romania and the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine or will enter the country through the Bucharest – Otopeni airport by December 9th will receive information materials and recommendations from the National Anticorruption Directorate. The event is taking place against the background of Romanias aspirations to join Schengen. A decision on this matter is still hampered by political considerations.

    CANDIDACY – The
    French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Monday announced his candidacy for the
    2017 presidential elections and his resignation as Prime Minister, France
    Presse reports. If he wins the competition within the Socialist Party, Valls
    will have to defeat in spring the rightist Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen,
    member of the National Front. The socialist president Francois Hollande has
    announced he will not take part in the party’s internal competition for a
    second mandate.



    REFERENDUM – Italians on Sunday voted against the Constitutional reform proposed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who decided to step down after the vote. The reform was aimed at cutting Senates powers, limiting the remit of local authorities and increasing the Governments authority. Political pundits say Italy might be facing a political deadlock, capable of generating a new shock at EU level after the Brexit vote. Snap elections in Italy might favour the populist movement Five Stars, an anti-Eurozone faction. At the same time, the economy might also bear the brunt of the vote, as Italy is the Eurozones third largest economy with one of the highest Government debt.



    ELECTIONS – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis has congratulated the winner of the presidential vote in Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, expressing confidence his election will boost political and economic cooperation between the two countries. The Romanian president also said that strengthening the community bloc, based on the principles of liberal democracy, the rule of law, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, represent major joint objectives. Backed by the Greens, Alexander Van der Bellen on Sunday outran his opponent Norbert Hofer, supported by the far-right. This was Austrias third presidential ballot this year, after Mays vote was won by Alexander Van der Bellen, Hofer appealed the results and the Constitutional Court decided to re-stage the vote.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • December 4, 2016 UPDATE

    December 4, 2016 UPDATE


    ELECTION – Legislative elections will be held in Romania on December 11, under the new legislation in force, marking a return to the 2004 party-list voting system. New representation quotas are also being introduced, as follows: 1 deputy per 73,000 inhabitants and 1 senator per 168,000 inhabitants. Running for the 466 MP seats are 6,493 people. The Romanian Diaspora, accounting for over three million people, will be represented by 2 senators and 4 deputies. All Romanians residing abroad will as of this year be able to vote by post.



    REFUGEES – 17 Syrian refugees were apprehended by the Romanian border police while trying to illegally cross from Serbia into Romania. Nine of the 17 are children aged between two and ten. On Saturday, the border police also identified a Turkish national accompanied by a Serbian guide. The man was trying to enter Romania on route to Germany. Over the last year, over 300 refugees, mostly Syrian, have tried to enter Romania. Most of them are trying to cross from Serbia, currently home to over 7,000 immigrants.



    ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN – An anti-corruption campaign is being held on Monday in 14 border crossing points in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. For the course of five days, flyers and leaflets will be handed out with the purpose of raising the awareness of citizens with respect to the risk they expose themselves when dealing in border-related crimes. Organized by the General Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania, the Anti-Corruption National Centre in Moldova and the State Border Police Service in Ukraine, the campaign is carried out also with help from Romanian high-school volunteers.



    EUROSTAT – One in three Romanians cannot afford to eat out with friends every month, shows the latest Eurostat survey. Figures indicate the same figures for Hungary and Bulgaria. In Romania, those affected are the elderly, of whom 43% lack the funds to eat out in a restaurant every month. Over a third of young people below 25 cannot afford to go out to a pub every month. Nearly one in ten European citizens lacks the money for such monthly activities.



    GREECE – Structural reforms will help Greece get sustainable growth instead of a debt-cutting deal, the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Bild am Sonntag on Sunday. Greeces outstanding debt currently amounts to 300 billion euros, accounting for 180% of its GDP, the highest in the Eurozone. A Eurozone Finance Ministers meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday in Brussels, aimed at reviewing the progress Athens has reported in implementing the line of reforms demanded in exchange for granting financial assistance. Germany is unlikely to discuss a cut in Greeces debt ahead of the elections of September 2017. For the first time since 2014, Greece has reported a growth of its GDP for two consecutive terms, thus ending the economic slump.



    HANDBALL – Romanias national womens handball team are participating in Sweden between December 4 –18 in the European Handball Championship. Romania will take on Norway, in Group D, on December 5th, Russia on the 7th of December and Croatia on the 9th. The three top-ranking teams in each group will qualify to the second stage. Romanias team is coached by the Spanish Ambros Martin, who last month replaced the Swedish Tomas Ryde, who led the Romanians to victory at the 2015 World Championship hosted by Denmark, when they won bronze. Ambros Martin was designated the best coach of the world in 2013 and 2014 and won two times the Champions League with the Hungarian team Győr that he is also coaching. The teams of Norway and Denmark have won the most continental titles, 6 and 3 respectively. Romanias best result at the European Championship was the bronze medal in 2010.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)