CCR – The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), a sovereigntist opposition party in Romania’s Parliament, has described as abusive the Constitutional Court’s decision to invalidate the candidacy of the extremist Călin Georgescu in the presidential election. At the same time, the party announced that it would go on a parliamentary strike starting on Wednesday, along with the other sovereigntist parties. The Constitutional Court (CCR) confirmed on Tuesday the decision by which the Central Electoral Bureau rejected Călin Georgescu’s candidacy in the May presidential election. In December, the CCR had annulled the presidential election on the grounds that the electoral process had been flawed in his favor. The Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that the unanimous decision of the Constitutional Court judges regarding Călin Georgescu’s candidacy closes an extremely tense and dangerous episode that Romania has experienced in recent months.
MAE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry considers that the latest statement by the spokesman for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, regarding the presidential election in Romania is unacceptable. Dmitri Peskov stated that the May election without the candidacy of Călin Georgescu would have no legitimacy and that Romania chose the path of defying democracy. The Romanian Foreign Ministry responded that Russia had not had free elections for almost 20 years and that an aggressor state could not give lessons of democracy. Romania does not accept foreign interference, the MAE also writes in a statement.
Foot-and-mouth-disease – The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) in Bucharest has banned the transport of livestock, fodder, straw, compost and manure from Hungary to Romania, due to a confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on a farm in Hungary, near the border with Slovakia. The ANSVSA has also imposed restrictions on animal products such as meat, milk and dairy products from the two countries. On Tuesday, the National Sanitary Veterinary Authority organized an emergency meeting with dairy farmers to discuss the necessary measures to protect Romanian farms. A few days ago, Germany also announced its first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 36 years, on a farm near Berlin. Foot-and-mouth disease, which is highly contagious, is one of the most serious viral infections that can affect the livestock industry.
Award – Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday decorated former international footballer Gheorghe Hagi with the National Order ‘The Star of Romania’. According to the Presidential Administration, the highest distinction of the Romanian state, the National Order ‘The Star of Romania in the rank of Knight’ is awarded to him in sign of recognition and appreciation for his entire sporting career, as well as for his active involvement in the popularization of football. Gheorghe Hagi is a role model and a source of inspiration for all generations, the cited source also states. Born in 1965, Hagi played for the Romanian national team at three world championships in 1990, 1994 (where he was appointed to the World Cup All-Star Team) and 1998, and at three European Championships, in 1984, 1996 and 2000. He was selected 125 times for Romania, second only to Dorinel Munteanu, and is the top scorer (along with Adrian Mutu), with 35 goals. As a player at Steaua Bucharest, he has three championship titles, three Romanian cups, and the European Super Cup in 1987, when, in Monte Carlo, he scored the goal from a free kick that gave the Romanians a 1-0 victory over the Soviets at the time, Dinamo Kiev. With Galatasaray Istanbul, he won 4 championship titles, 2 cups and two Turkish Super Cups, and in 2000 he led the team to win the UEFA Cup and, with Romanian Mircea Lucescu on the bench, the European Super Cup, performances unmatched in the history of Turkish football. After retiring from the pitch, he became a coach and founded the Viitorul (today Farul) Constanța club, with which he won the Romanian championship twice.
Commission – The plenum of Romania’s Parliament has unanimously decided to establish a special joint commission of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to combat human trafficking. The aim of the initiative is to raise society’s awareness about the existence of human trafficking, and especially to adopt urgent measures to combat this scourge. The objectives of the Commission include analyzing the causes that favor human trafficking, including labor exploitation, sexual exploitation or trafficking of minors, as well as analyzing the activity of central and local public administration institutions and authorities in preventing, identifying, investigating and solving human trafficking. The commission will operate until the end of the current legislature, in 2028. According to the authorities, last year 610 victims of human trafficking were registered, and 152 people were convicted for involvement in this type of criminal act. (LS)
