Radio România Internațional

Tag: local election

Elections and candidates

The start of the election year in Romania will be June 9, when around 19 million Romanians are expected to vote in local and European Parliament elections. The president of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Greblă, held a press briefing detailing how elections will unfold. Almost 19,000 polling stations will be set up at national level and 915abroad, twice the number of previous rounds of election. The total number of candidates stands at over 207,000, of whom 494 are enrolled in the race for the European Parliament. Almost 100 million ballots have already been printed and distributed across the territory, Toni Greblă said, adding that Romanian citizens can only vote at the polling station in the area of their residence in the local election. Citizens who’ve changed their residence address at least 60 days before the election can also vote in their designated polling stations. Toni Greblă also mentioned the documents required to vote in Romania – an identity card or other suitable documents except travel passports. People who need a mobile ballot box can request one, and citizens who cannot cast their votes due to visible signs of illness can be accompanied in the voting booth by a person of their choice, who cannot however be a member of the polling station or an official candidate.

In the European Parliament election, eligible voters who reside or are temporarily living abroad can vote in any polling section abroad, upon presenting a Romanian identity document valid on the day of the vote. Voters must put a stamp on each of the five ballots they will receive, and any ballot inserted into a box other than the designated one will be considered valid and will not be canceled, Toni Greblă said.

As early as last week, the Foreign Ministry dispatched all materials related to the vote to Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad: over 2.5 million ballots, stamps, adhesive stamps and control stamps. The list of polling stations abroad is available on the website of the Foreign Ministry, in the section devoted to the European Parliament election. Voting will start at 7:00 AM and end at 10:00 PM with the possibility of voting hours being extended until midnight if there are still voters in line who want to vote, Toni Greblă explained. On the other hand, the Central Electoral Bureau announced that real time updates will be provided on voter turnout on election day for each individual election, and that once polls close, the minutes from each polling station will be published on the Bureau’s website. (VP)

29 May 2024
Pre-election decisions

With approximately two and a half months left before the European Parliament and local elections slated for June 9, the ruling PSD-PNL coalition decided to present a joint list of candidates for the European Parliament election, despite contrasting ideologies and being part of different groups in the European Parliament. For the local elections, however, PSD and PNL are looking to enroll joint candidates in certain cities. Such is the case of Bucharest, where at the end of long negotiations that seemed doomed to fail, the two parties decided to back physician Cătălin Cîrstoiu, the acting manager of the Bucharest University Hospital. Cîrstoiu will not enroll in any of the two parties but will run as an independent candidate. In an ironic twist of fate, the presidents of the Bucharest branches of PSD and PNL, Gabriela Firea and Sebastian Burduja, respectively, who had both hoped to run for Bucharest Mayor General, will content themselves in running the the election campaign for their parties in Bucharest.

Over the next few days, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals are expected to announce their joint candidates for the six districts of Bucharest. Political sources say the Liberals are eyeing districts 1 and 6 while the Social-Democrats will fight to secure districts 2, 3, 4 and 5. An appreciated physician and hospital manager with no political experience, Cătălin Cîrstoiu will go up against the controversial Cristian Popescu Piedone, running on behalf of the Social-Liberal Humanist Party, as well as the incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, praised by some and harshly criticized by others, who has secured the support of the United Right Alliance made up of USR, PMP and the Right Force. The alliance was greenlit to field joint candidates for the June 9 election after the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday validated its format. At the end of last week, the Central Election Authority had rejected the establishment protocol of the Alliance, claiming that Cristian Diaconescu was listed as president of PMP in political registries, whereas the establishment act was signed by Eugen Tomac on behalf of the said party. The High Court’s decision corrects an inadmissible abuse for any democracy, Alliance representatives say. (VP)

20 March 2024
October 11, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 2.880 new cases of COVID-19
and 53 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic
Communication announced on Sunday. 628
patients are still in intensive care. The infection rate per thousand
inhabitants in the last 14 days stands at 2.52 in Bucharest, with high rates
also reported in Alba and Valcea counties. The rate is over 1.5 in another nine
counties. If the rate exceeds 3, authorities want to reintroduce certain
restrictions. On Saturday, hundreds of people protested in Bucharest against
restrictions imposed by the authorities to prevent the coronavirus from
spreading. A similar protest was staged in Iasi, the second-most affected city
in the country, where people are disgruntled with the ban on the pilgrimage to
Saint Paraskeva. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said the protests are unfounded,
and anyone who doesn’t observe the regulations in force will be fined.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Health authorities in numerous
states across the world have raised alarm signals regarding the mounting
pressure on national healthcare systems, in the context of a resurge of the
coroanvirus pandemic. There are nearly 37 million confirmed cases of COVID-19
globally, while over a 1million people have died worldwide, 5,500 in the last
24 hours alone, the World Health Organization reports. The figures also very
close to their corresponding marks in spring, when experts said the pandemic
peaked. The European Commission has signed an agreement with Gilead
biopharmaceutical company to receive 500 thousand shots of Remdesivir, an
antiviral drug that has been successfully used so far to treat COVID
infections. All EU member states and some of its neighbors are due to receive
dozes. China has announced its willingness to join the agreement to grant
vaccines to poor countries, an initiative launched by the WHO.

ELECTION – A partial local
election is held on Sunday in a city and three villages in Romania, where
officials could not be elected on September 27. In the three villages the first
two candidates were tied in terms of number of votes and will face each other
in the second round, while in Moldova Noua city the vote on September 27 was
invalidated due to irregularities linked to the voting procedure. In last
month’s election Social-Democrat Gabriela Firea missed her chance to win a
second mandate at the helm of the Bucharest City Hall, losing to independent
candidate Nicuşor Dan, backed by the National Liberal Party and the Save
Romania Union – PLUS Alliance. Candidates backed by the Liberals and the
Alliance won three of the six districts of Bucharest. Nationwide, the
Social-Democratic Party won 20 county councils, the Liberals 17 and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania 4.

INVESTIGATION – The head of the National Agency for
Preventing and Combating Money Laundering, Laurenţiu
Baranga, has been detained for 24 hours and is accused of having used forged
diplomas, which tribunals have disqualified. According to investigators,
Baranga’s use of fake education certificates allegedly caused a prejudice worth
over a hundred thousand Euro. Baranga resigned after having taken office just
last month, after allegations arose regarding his forged Baccalaureate diploma,
which he obtained aged 32. Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban denied having
any prior knowledge in this respect, saying all vetting procedures were applied
when Baranga’s candidacy was analyzed. Interim Senate Speaker, Social-Democrat
Robert Cazanciuc, said Orban has to step down for appointing a forgerer in a
public office with a direct control of Romania’s financial dealings.

MARATHON – The International
Bucharest Marathon, due to take place on Sunday, was cancelled upon the
authorities’ request, due to the negative evolution of the coronavirus
pandemic. The infection rate in Bucharest now stands at 2.52 per thousand
inhabitants. 250 professional runners had enrolled in the Bucharest marathon,
in an attempt to qualify to the Olympic Games due to take place in Tokyo next
year. We hope the specific qualities describing a professional marathon
runners, such as determination, endurance and planning, will help them overcome
this difficult moment, all the more so as some of them had already traveled to Bucharest,
coming from other continents, the president of the Bucharest Running Club,
Valeria van Groningen, has said. The decision to cancel the Bucharest
International Marathon will not be affecting runners enrolled in virtual races,
who will be taking part individually in the said events, over October 11-18.
Virtual racers get to pick their own track and start time.

HANDBALL – Romanian handball club CSM
Bucharest lost 25-30 away from home on Saturday to Vipers Kristiansand of
Norway, in a match counting towards Champions League Group A. CSM could not
field its top player, Cristina Neagu, the world’s handballer in 2010, 2015,
2016 and 2018, who tested positive for COVID-19. Previously, with Neagu in the
lineup, CSM had won both group fixtures. Scheduled for Sunday in Group B, the
match pitting SCM Ramnicu Valcea against Podravka Koprivnica of Croatia was
postponed, also due to COVID infections reported at the Romanian club. SCM has
lost the first three group matches. In the men’s Champions League, Romanian
champions Dinamo Bucharest will play straight into the Europa League group
phase, due to kick off this month.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football
team is today playing Norway in Nations League Group B. Romania is top of the
group tables after drawing 1-all at home against Northern Ireland and defeating
Austria 3-2. On Thursday, Romania missed the chance to qualify to the 2020
European Championship after losing 1-2 to Iceland in the playoff semis.

(translated by V.
Palcu)

11 October 2020
September 28, 2020 UPDATE

ELECTION
– President Klaus Iohannis on Monday said Sunday’s results in the local
election mark a victory for Romanian democracy, but also an unprecedented
victory reported by right-wing parties. The President said the voter turnout
was good, considering the health crisis the country is facing, and this proves
society is acting responsibly. Romanians have voted for a new direction, for
common sense and respect towards citizens, as well as for democracy, President
Iohannis said. The President congratulated the National Liberal Party and the
Save Romania Union – PLUS alliance for their good results in Sunday’s ballot,
and asked them to continue cooperating with a view to shaping up a new majority
in Parliament after the legislative election slated for December. According to
partial results, the independent candidate Nicuşor Dan, backed by the
National Liberal Party in power and the Save Romania Union – PLUS alliance won
42.78% of the vote, to the detriment of his opponent, Social-Democrat Gabriela
Firea, the current Mayor General of Bucharest, who won 37.95% of the vote.
Candidates supported by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union-PLUS have
reported victories in 3 of the 6 districts in the capital city, while left-wing
candidates have won the mayor seats in the other three. Over 46% of Romanians
voted in Sunday’s ballot to elect 41 presidents of county councils, over 1,300
county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and over 3,200 mayors. Nationwide,
the Social-Democratic Party has reportedly won 20 county councils, the Liberals
17 and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians 4.

COVID-19
– 1,271 new coronavirus infections were reported on Monday in Romania, taking
the total number of cases to almost 124,000. 99,344 people have recovered. 30
new deaths were also reported on Monday, with the death toll now standing at
4,748. Globally, the pandemic has caused more than 1 million deaths and over
33.3 million infections, according to worldometers.info. Some 25 million people
have recovered. The worst hit regions in terms of number of deaths are Latin
America and the Caribbean, Europe, the United States and Canada. In the US
alone, infections have passed 7.3 million and the death toll is nearing
210,000. India also topped 6 million cases on Monday. According to World Health
Organization officials, coronavirus fatalities could double to 2 million before
a successful vaccine is widely used, and this figure could be even higher
without coordinated measures to contain the pandemic.

FUNDING
– The European Commission has approved modifying the Competitiveness
Operational Programme for Romania, by redirecting funding worth €550 million
from the Cohesion Fund in order to offset the economic fallout of the
coronacrisis. According to a Commission release, some 120,000 SMEs and other
digitization and e-education initiatives will be able to access the funds. The
Commission recalls Romania has already attracted some €350 million worth of EU
funds in the healthcare sector to help doctors in the first line of defense
against COVID-19. Thanks to the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, a
total of €900 million from the Cohesion Fund is being earmarked to efforts at
combating the coroanvirus and its effects in Romania.

EPPO -
Romanian Laura Codruța Kovesi was sworn
in on Monday as the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office at the
Court of Justice of the European Union. Joining her in the swearing-in ceremony
were another 22 prosecutors representing the 22 EPPO member states. In a joint
agreement signed on October 16, 2019, the European Parliament and the Council
of the European Union designated Laura Codruța Kovesi as the first head of the
EPPO. Under a resolution passed on July 27, 2020, the Council of the European
Union appointed the first European prosecutors. EPPO is an independent body of
the European Union charged with investigating, prosecuting and taking to court
crimes that infringe on the EU’s financial interests, such as corruption, or
cross-border VAT fraud that result in a prejudice exceeding €10 million. To
this end, the EPPO is conducting investigations and prosecutions working with
the relevant courts of law in member states. The EPPO will be headquartered in
Luxembourg.

DEFICIT – Romania’s budget deficit went up to 5.18% of the GDP after the first
eight months of the year, from 2.1% in the similar period of last year, the
Ministry of Finance reports. Over half of the deficit reflects the costs of
measures introduced to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. According to official
estimates, the budget deficit will reach 8.6% this year, 5% of which directly accounting
for the economic fallout of COVID-19.

TENNIS – 4 Romanian tennis players will
be competing in Tuesday’s first round at Roland Garros. Ana Bogdan will take on
Timea Babos of Hungary, Monica Niculescu will play Danielle Collins of the
United States, Sorana Cîrstea will
go up against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, while Irina Bara will play Donna
Vekic of Croatia. On Wednesday, Simona Halep, the top seed at Roland Garros,
will play another Romanian player, Irina Begu. In the last encounter at the
semi-finals in Prague, Halep defeated Begu. Eight Romanian players will compete
in the women’s doubles: Raluca Olaru, Monica Niculescu, Irina Begu,
Andreea Mitu, Irina Bara, Ana Bogdan, Patricia Ţig and Sorana Cîrstea. In the
men’s doubles, Romanian Horia Tecău and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands,
last year’s quarterfinalists, are seeded 12 and will play Cristian Garin of
Chile and Pedro Martinez of Spain.

(Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)

28 September 2020
September 27, 2020 UPDATE

ELECTION -
The independent candidate Nicusor Dan, supported by the National Liberal Party
and the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance, has won the vote for the Bucharest
City Hall according to exit polls released on Sunday evening. Dan grabbed 48%
of the vote, while his main opponent, the current Mayor, Social-Democrat
Gabriela Firea, won 38% of the vote. Nicusor Dan thanked the people of
Bucharest for their trust and promised to change the administration for the
better. The candidates designated and supported by the National Liberal Party
and Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance have also reported victories in 3 of the
6 districts of Bucharest. Liberal leader, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, has
hailed what he has called the most spectacular win for the Liberals in the
local election in the last 30 years. The co-leader of the Save Romania Union -
PLUS Alliance, Dan Barna, said the result in Bucharest confirms the fact that
this alliance is an alternative to traditional parties. In turn,
Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu said the National Liberal Party lost
their hold on Bucharest due to the chaos it created during the pandemic, thus
becoming the third political force in the capital city. We recall the National
Liberal Party has won the election for the European Parliament and the
presidential election, both held last year. The local election is seen as a
test ahead of the presidential election slated for December 6. The voter
turnout at national level stood at 46%. Romanians voted to elect 41 presidents
of county councils, 1,300 county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and 3,200
mayors. The election was held in a single round. Originally slated for June,
the local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the
mandates of local officials were extended. The ballot was held with the strict
observance of health safety regulations.

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 1,438 new cases of COVID-19
have been reported in the past 24 hours in Romania, taking the total number of
infections to 122,673, according to data published on Sunday by the Strategic
Communication Group. Another 31 people infected with the new coronavirus have
died, taking the total death toll to 4,718. More than 98,600 patients have
recovered, with 535 people currently in ICUs. The number of Romanians from
abroad confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 is 6,693, with 126 people having died. Family
physicians have recommend the population should take the anti-flu shot to
reduce the risk of a possible overalp of seasonal flu with COVID-19. As part of
a campaign run by the Health Ministry, free immunization will benefit
especially the people over 65 with chronic diseases, children, the
institutionalized elderly, pregnant women and medical staff.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – As many as 33 million people across
the world have got infected with the new coronavirus. Since the start of the
pandemic, in late 2019 in China, almost 1 million people have died. The WHO
warns that the new coronavirus is likely to kill more than 2 million people if
action is not taken internationally to fight the disease. The US continues to
be the country with the biggest number of contaminations and deaths. Over 7.1
million Americans have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and more than 207,000 have
died. Europe is also facing problems, with Russia reporting almost 8 thousand
cases in the last 24 hours. Great Britain is now in the grips of a second wave
of the pandemic.

CONFLICT – The evolution of the situation between Armenia
and Azerbaijan is troubling and Romania is calling on both sides to resume
political dialogue to work out solutions through peaceful means, said the
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, as quoted by Agerpres. The president
of the European Council Charles Michel in turn asked for the cessation of
hostilities between the troops of Azerbaijan and the separatists in
Nagorno-Karabakh and for the immediate start of negotiations. He made this
appeal after Armenia on Sunday decreed martial law and total military
mobilization following clashes with Azerbaijan in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia said that Azerbaijan had launched an air and artillery attack in
Nagorno-Karabakh while Azerbaijan accused the Armenian forces of bombing
military and civilian targets from its territory. The two countries from the
Caucasus have been stuck in an unresolved conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic
Armenians. Although a ceasefire agreement was concluded in 1994, Armenia and
Azerbaijan have been frequently accusing each other of attacks on the region of
Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict worries the West as it might increase
instability in South Caucasus, a region serving as corridor for the oil an gas
pipelines towards the world markets.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 2
and seeded first at Roland Garros, on Sunday qualified to the second round of
the Grand Slam tournament in Paris after ousting Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain
in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0. The winner of the title in 2018, Halep will next take
on another Romanian player, Irina Begu (73 WTA), who in the first round
defeated Jil Teichmann of Switzerland (53 WTA) at the end of three sets.
Another five Romanian players will be competing in the women’s singles on
Monday. Monica Niculescu (141 WTA) will be playing Danielle Collins of the
United States (57 WTA), Irina Bara (142 WTA) will take on Donna Vekić (30 WTA)
of Croatia. Patricia Ţig (59 WTA) will play Stefanie Voegele (117 WTA) of
Switzerland, Sorana Cîrstea (84 WTA) will go up against Elena Rybakina (18 WTA)
of Kazakhstan, while Ana Bogdan (93 WTA) will take on Timea Babos (107 WTA) of
Hungary. Romania is also represented in the doubles events.

(Translated by L. Simion & V. Palcu)

27 September 2020
September 27, 2020 UPDATE

ELECTION -
The independent candidate Nicusor Dan, supported by the National Liberal Party
and the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance, has won the vote for the Bucharest
City Hall according to exit polls released on Sunday evening. Dan grabbed 48%
of the vote, while his main opponent, the current Mayor, Social-Democrat
Gabriela Firea, won 38% of the vote. Nicusor Dan thanked the people of
Bucharest for their trust and promised to change the administration for the
better. The candidates designated and supported by the National Liberal Party
and Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance have also reported victories in 3 of the
6 districts of Bucharest. Liberal leader, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, has
hailed what he has called the most spectacular win for the Liberals in the
local election in the last 30 years. The co-leader of the Save Romania Union -
PLUS Alliance, Dan Barna, said the result in Bucharest confirms the fact that
this alliance is an alternative to traditional parties. In turn,
Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu said the National Liberal Party lost
their hold on Bucharest due to the chaos it created during the pandemic, thus
becoming the third political force in the capital city. We recall the National
Liberal Party has won the election for the European Parliament and the
presidential election, both held last year. The local election is seen as a
test ahead of the presidential election slated for December 6. The voter
turnout at national level stood at 46%. Romanians voted to elect 41 presidents
of county councils, 1,300 county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and 3,200
mayors. The election was held in a single round. Originally slated for June,
the local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the
mandates of local officials were extended. The ballot was held with the strict
observance of health safety regulations.

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 1,438 new cases of COVID-19
have been reported in the past 24 hours in Romania, taking the total number of
infections to 122,673, according to data published on Sunday by the Strategic
Communication Group. Another 31 people infected with the new coronavirus have
died, taking the total death toll to 4,718. More than 98,600 patients have
recovered, with 535 people currently in ICUs. The number of Romanians from
abroad confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 is 6,693, with 126 people having died. Family
physicians have recommend the population should take the anti-flu shot to
reduce the risk of a possible overalp of seasonal flu with COVID-19. As part of
a campaign run by the Health Ministry, free immunization will benefit
especially the people over 65 with chronic diseases, children, the
institutionalized elderly, pregnant women and medical staff.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – As many as 33 million people across
the world have got infected with the new coronavirus. Since the start of the
pandemic, in late 2019 in China, almost 1 million people have died. The WHO
warns that the new coronavirus is likely to kill more than 2 million people if
action is not taken internationally to fight the disease. The US continues to
be the country with the biggest number of contaminations and deaths. Over 7.1
million Americans have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and more than 207,000 have
died. Europe is also facing problems, with Russia reporting almost 8 thousand
cases in the last 24 hours. Great Britain is now in the grips of a second wave
of the pandemic.

CONFLICT – The evolution of the situation between Armenia
and Azerbaijan is troubling and Romania is calling on both sides to resume
political dialogue to work out solutions through peaceful means, said the
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, as quoted by Agerpres. The president
of the European Council Charles Michel in turn asked for the cessation of
hostilities between the troops of Azerbaijan and the separatists in
Nagorno-Karabakh and for the immediate start of negotiations. He made this
appeal after Armenia on Sunday decreed martial law and total military
mobilization following clashes with Azerbaijan in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia said that Azerbaijan had launched an air and artillery attack in
Nagorno-Karabakh while Azerbaijan accused the Armenian forces of bombing
military and civilian targets from its territory. The two countries from the
Caucasus have been stuck in an unresolved conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic
Armenians. Although a ceasefire agreement was concluded in 1994, Armenia and
Azerbaijan have been frequently accusing each other of attacks on the region of
Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict worries the West as it might increase
instability in South Caucasus, a region serving as corridor for the oil an gas
pipelines towards the world markets.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 2
and seeded first at Roland Garros, on Sunday qualified to the second round of
the Grand Slam tournament in Paris after ousting Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain
in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0. The winner of the title in 2018, Halep will next take
on another Romanian player, Irina Begu (73 WTA), who in the first round
defeated Jil Teichmann of Switzerland (53 WTA) at the end of three sets.
Another five Romanian players will be competing in the women’s singles on
Monday. Monica Niculescu (141 WTA) will be playing Danielle Collins of the
United States (57 WTA), Irina Bara (142 WTA) will take on Donna Vekić (30 WTA)
of Croatia. Patricia Ţig (59 WTA) will play Stefanie Voegele (117 WTA) of
Switzerland, Sorana Cîrstea (84 WTA) will go up against Elena Rybakina (18 WTA)
of Kazakhstan, while Ana Bogdan (93 WTA) will take on Timea Babos (107 WTA) of
Hungary. Romania is also represented in the doubles events.

(Translated by L. Simion & V. Palcu)

27 September 2020
Local election UPDATE

ELECTION -
The independent candidate Nicusor Dan, supported by the National Liberal Party
and the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance, has won the vote for the Bucharest
City Hall according to exit polls released on Sunday evening. Dan grabbed 48%
of the vote, while his main opponent, the current Mayor, Social-Democrat
Gabriela Firea, won 38% of the vote. Nicusor Dan thanked the people of
Bucharest for their trust and promised to change the administration for the
better. The candidates designated and supported by the National Liberal Party
and Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance have also reported victories in 3 of the
6 districts of Bucharest. Liberal leader, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, has
hailed what he has called the most spectacular win for the Liberals in the
local election in the last 30 years. The co-leader of the Save Romania Union -
PLUS Alliance, Dan Barna, said the result in Bucharest confirms the fact that
this alliance is an alternative to traditional parties. In turn,
Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu said the National Liberal Party lost
their hold on Bucharest due to the chaos it created during the pandemic, thus
becoming the third political force in the capital city. We recall the National
Liberal Party has won the election for the European Parliament and the
presidential election, both held last year. The local election is seen as a
test ahead of the presidential election slated for December 6. The voter
turnout at national level stood at 46%. Romanians voted to elect 41 presidents
of county councils, 1,300 county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and 3,200
mayors. The election was held in a single round. Originally slated for June,
the local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the
mandates of local officials were extended. The ballot was held with the strict
observance of health safety regulations.

(translated by V. Palcu)

27 September 2020
Local election UPDATE

ELECTION -
The independent candidate Nicusor Dan, supported by the National Liberal Party
and the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance, has won the vote for the Bucharest
City Hall according to exit polls released on Sunday evening. Dan grabbed 48%
of the vote, while his main opponent, the current Mayor, Social-Democrat
Gabriela Firea, won 38% of the vote. Nicusor Dan thanked the people of
Bucharest for their trust and promised to change the administration for the
better. The candidates designated and supported by the National Liberal Party
and Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance have also reported victories in 3 of the
6 districts of Bucharest. Liberal leader, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, has
hailed what he has called the most spectacular win for the Liberals in the
local election in the last 30 years. The co-leader of the Save Romania Union -
PLUS Alliance, Dan Barna, said the result in Bucharest confirms the fact that
this alliance is an alternative to traditional parties. In turn,
Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu said the National Liberal Party lost
their hold on Bucharest due to the chaos it created during the pandemic, thus
becoming the third political force in the capital city. We recall the National
Liberal Party has won the election for the European Parliament and the
presidential election, both held last year. The local election is seen as a
test ahead of the presidential election slated for December 6. The voter
turnout at national level stood at 46%. Romanians voted to elect 41 presidents
of county councils, 1,300 county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and 3,200
mayors. The election was held in a single round. Originally slated for June,
the local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the
mandates of local officials were extended. The ballot was held with the strict
observance of health safety regulations.

(translated by V. Palcu)

27 September 2020
Local election UPDATE

ELECTION – The independent candidate Nicusor
Dan, supported by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union – PLUS
Alliance, has won the vote for the Bucharest City Hall according to exit polls
released on Sunday evening. Dan grabbed 47% of the vote, while his main
opponent, the current Mayor, Social-Democrat Gabriela Firea, won 39% of the
vote. Nicusor Dan thanked the people of Bucharest for their trust and promised
to change the administration for the better. The candidates designated and
supported by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance
have also reported victories in 3 of the 6 districts of Bucharest. Liberal
leader, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, has hailed what he has called the most
spectacular win for the Liberals in the local election in the last 30 years. The
co-leader of the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance, Dan Barna, said the result
in Bucharest confirms the fact that this alliance is an alternative to
traditional parties. In turn, Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu said the
National Liberal Party lost their hold on Bucharest due to the chaos it created
during the pandemic, thus becoming the third political force in the capital
city. We recall the National Liberal Party has won the election for the
European Parliament and the presidential election, both held last year. The
local election is seen as a test ahead of the presidential election slated for
December 6. The voter turnout at national level stood at 46%. Romanians voted
to elect 41 presidents of county councils, 1,300 county councilmen, 40,000
local councilmen and 3,200 mayors. The election was held in a single round.
Originally slated for June, the local election was postponed due to the
coronavirus pandemic and the mandates of local officials were extended. The
ballot was held with the strict observance of health safety regulations.

27 September 2020
September 26, 2020 UPDATE

ELECTION
– The campaign for the local election scheduled on Sunday ended on Saturday
morning. Originally slated for June, the election was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and local officials got their mandates extended. Over 18
million eligible voters are expected to hit the polls to elect 41 presidents of
county councils, over 1,300 county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and
3,200 mayors. The election will consist of one round. The main competitors are
the Social-Democratic Party, currently holding Parliament majority, and the
National Liberal Party in power. The election is also seen as a test ahead of
the legislative election scheduled for December 6. The vote will unfold with
the strict observance of health safety measures, such as wearing masks or
maintaining physical distance from people involved in the election process.

MULTILATERALISM
– Romania’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, on Friday attended the
ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism. The Romanian official
pointed out that reconsolidating democratic values and rule-based international
law is key to stepping up the robustness of societies. The meeting was held on
the sidelines of the 75th UN General Assembly meeting, held online. The
serious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics, the economy and society
have raised unprecedented challenges against multilateralism, international
law, rule-based order and democratic values, the Romanian official pointed out.
Bogdan Aurescu said Romania has joined the Coronavirus Global Response
initiative, redirecting several of its development assistance programmes to
health emergencies reported in some partner states, including in its eastern
vicinity and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, half of Romania’s contributions
to international development cooperation has been redirected to answer the
challenges generated by the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19
IN ROMANIA – 1,552 new COVID-19 infections have been reported in the last 24
hours in Romania. Since the outbreak of the pandemic 7 months ago, the number
of infections has exceeded 121,000. Some 4,700 people have died to the virus
and 500 people are currently in intensive care. Family physicians have
recommended the population should take the vaccine against seasonal flu in
order to prevent the overlap of influenza and COVID-19. People over 65 years of
age suffering from chronic illness, children and elderly in institutional care,
medical personnel and pregnant women will be administered the anti-flu shots
free of charge as part of a campaign conducted by the Health Ministry.

COVID-19
IN THE WORLD – 2 million COVID-19 casualties, which is double the global death
toll at present, is very probable, unless we do everything in our power to
combat the pandemic, the WHO Health Emergencies director, Michael Ryan, has
warned. Some 1 million people have died since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out
in late 2019 in China. 33 million people worldwide have got infected with the
new coronavirus.

TENNIS -
Two Romanian tennis players outside the WTA Top 100, Monica Niculescu and Irina
Bara, have managed to qualify to the Roland Garos main draw, due to start on
Sunday. In the first round Niculescu will play Danielle Collins of the United
States while Bara will take on Donna Vekić of Croatia. Another five Romanians
have been seeded in the main draw at Roland Garros. Simona Halep, world no. 2
and seeded first, will play Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain. In case of a win,
Halep will then play the winner of the match pitting another Romanian, Irina
Begu, against Jil Teichmann of Switzerland. Patricia Ţig will play Stefanie
Voegele of Switzerland, Sorana Cîrstea will go up against Elena Rybakina of
Kazakhstan, while Ana Bogdan will take on Timea Babos of Hungary. Romania will
also be represented in the men’s and women’s doubles.

HANDBALL
– Romanian handball club SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea on Saturday lost 30-20 to CSKA
Moscow away from home in Champions League Group B. In the previous group
fixture, SCM lost to Odense Handbold at home. The other Romanian club in
playing in Champions League, CSM Bucharest, has two wins and is top of the
tables in Group A. CSM was due to play Rostov-Don of Russia on Sunday at home,
but the match was postponed after a COVID-19 infection was reported at the
Russian club.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

26 September 2020
September 26, 2020

ELECTION
– The campaign for the local election scheduled on Sunday ended on Saturday
morning. Originally slated for June, the election was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and local officials got their mandates extended. Over 18
million eligible voters are expected to hit the polls to elect 41 presidents of
county councils, over 1,300 county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and
3,200 mayors. The election will consist of one round. The main competitors are
the Social-Democratic Party, currently holding Parliament majority, and the
National Liberal Party in power. The election is also seen as a test ahead of
the legislative election scheduled for December 6. The vote will unfold with
the strict observance of health safety measures, such as wearing masks or
maintaining physical distance from people involved in the election process.

MULTILATERALISM
– Romania’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, on Friday attended the
ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism. The Romanian official
pointed out that reconsolidating democratic values and rule-based international
law is key to stepping up the robustness of societies. The meeting was held on
the sidelines of the 75th UN General Assembly meeting, held online. The
serious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics, the economy and society
have raised unprecedented challenges against multilateralism, international
law, rule-based order and democratic values, the Romanian official pointed out.
Bogdan Aurescu said Romania has joined the Coronavirus Global Response
initiative, redirecting several of its development assistance programmes to
health emergencies reported in some partner states, including in its eastern
vicinity and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, half of Romania’s contributions
to international development cooperation has been redirected to answer the
challenges generated by the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19
IN ROMANIA – 1,552 new COVID-19 infections have been reported in the last 24
hours in Romania. Since the outbreak of the pandemic 7 months ago, the number
of infections has exceeded 121,000. Some 4,700 people have died to the virus
and 500 people are currently in intensive care. Family physicians have
recommended the population should take the vaccine against seasonal flu in
order to prevent the overlap of influenza and COVID-19. People over 65 years of
age suffering from chronic illness, children and elderly in institutional care,
medical personnel and pregnant women will be administered the anti-flu shots
free of charge as part of a campaign conducted by the Health Ministry.

COVID-19
IN THE WORLD – 2 million COVID-19 casualties, which is double the global death
toll at present, is very probable, unless we do everything in our power to
combat the pandemic, the WHO Health Emergencies director, Michael Ryan, has
warned. Some 1 million people have died since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out
in late 2019 in China. 33 million people worldwide have got infected with the
new coronavirus.

TENNIS -
Two Romanian tennis players outside the WTA Top 100, Monica Niculescu and Irina
Bara, have managed to qualify to the Roland Garos main draw, due to start on
Sunday. In the first round Niculescu will play Danielle Collins of the United
States while Bara will take on Donna Vekić of Croatia. Another five Romanians
have been seeded in the main draw at Roland Garros. Simona Halep, world no. 2
and seeded first, will play Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain. In case of a win,
Halep will then play the winner of the match pitting another Romanian, Irina
Begu, against Jil Teichmann of Switzerland. Patricia Ţig will play Stefanie
Voegele of Switzerland, Sorana Cîrstea will go up against Elena Rybakina of
Kazakhstan, while Ana Bogdan will take on Timea Babos of Hungary. Romania will
also be represented in the men’s and women’s doubles.

HANDBALL
– Romanian handball club SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea is today playing CSKA Moscow away
from home in Champions League Group B. In the previous group fixture, SCM lost
to Odense Handbold at home. The team is ranked 7th in the group
tables with zero points. The other Romanian club in playing in Champions
League, CSM Bucharest, has two wins and is top of the tables in Group A. CSM is
playing runner-up Rostov Don of Russia at home. The match was previously
postponed due to a COVID-19 infection reported at the Russian club.

WEATHER
– Over three quarters of Romania’s territory are under a code orange alert
against heavy rain, strong wind, hail and electric storms. The alert is in
place until Saturday night and was issued for areas in the northwest, south and
east of the country. A yellow code has also been issued against heavy rain for
the rest of the country. Temperatures are expected to drop and storms will hit
mountainous regions in particular.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

26 September 2020
September 21, 2020

BELARUS – The Presidents
of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda and Poland, Andrzej Duda
have voiced their joint readiness to support the people of Belarus in building
a democratic path for their country. The Presidents have called on the
international community to join the EU and Member States in a joint effort to
build a positive agenda for Belarus, in addition to a support package aimed at
ensuring political, economic and social transition. The three heads of state
are willing to provide Belarus with their countries’ expertise and know-how to
help implement political and economic reforms, to build independent
institutions and to help build a society based on the observance of human
rights and freedom of speech. The joint statement follows an increase in the
number of allegations over violations of human rights and election fraud in
Belarus. In power for 26 years, President Alexander Lukashenko is often labeled
as Europe’s last dictator.

MEETING – Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending the
meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Bucharest. On the sidelines of the meeting,
Aurescu is also taking part in a working breakfast hosted by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya,
the leader of the Belarusian opposition. During the meeting, the EU Foreign
Ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, will
be reviewing the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon and
Venezuela, as well as EU-China and EU-Russia relations. High on the agenda is
also a strategic debate on the EU’s prospective partnerships with states in the
southern vicinity. The Romanian Foreign Minister will also meet with Miroslav
Lajcak, the EU special representative for Serbia-Kosovo dialogue.

COVID-19 – 808 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours in
Romania, the Group for Strategic Communication announced today. 23 people have
died, taking the death toll to 4,458. So far over 113,500 cases of COVID-19
have been reported in Romania. 90,600 patients have recovered. 464 patients are
in intensive care. The authorities have again called on the population to
observe health safety measures to prevent the pandemic from spreading. Health
Minister Nelu
Tătaru has underlined the importance of vaccination against seasonal flu in
order to prevent a second pandemic. The Romanian official says the first
vaccine shots have already arrived and they will be administered to people in
at-risk categories, including teachers.

SCHOOLS – The Government is today deciding on the number of days
schools that are to host polling stations next Sunday will remain closed.
Ensuring the sanitation of classes will take at least one day, during which
time pupils will follow classes online. In Bucharest, local authorities decided
to suspend classes two days before the election as well. In other news, classes
in over 300 schools are being held exclusively online, and over 4,400 schooling
units are following the hybrid scenario, whereby half of pupils study from home
and the other half in school. In some 13,000 schools all pupils are observing
daily physical class attendance. Candidates in the local election are vying for
one of the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats,
1.300 county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen positions. Originally
slated for June, the local election was postponed due to the coronavirus
pandemic, while the mandates of local officials were extended by another six
months.

MARKET – Romania’s
capital market is as of today rated as an emerging market, after the stocks
of the top companies listed at the Bucharest Stock Exchange had been monitored
for three years. The first two companies to be granted an emerging-market index
will be Transylvania Bank and Nuclearelectrica. The two companies will have to meet
liquidity criteria over the next three months.

HANDBALL
– The Romanian women’s handball club CSM Bucharest on Sunday defeated Team
Esbjerg of Denmark 30-29 away from home in Champions League Group A. Also in
Group A, Metz Handball of France defeated SG BBM Bietigheim 36-27. The group leader with 4
points, CSM will next play Rostov-Don of Russia on September 27 at home. On
Saturday, the other Romanian team playing in Champions League, SCM Râmnicu
Vâlcea lost to Odense Handbold of Denmark, 30-21 in Group B. Râmnicu Vâlcea
will next play CSKA Moscow on September 26.

TENNIS – Tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 2, is today playing
in the final of the WTA tournament in Rome, totaling over $2.2 million in prize
money. On Sunday, in the semi-finals, she defeated Garbine Muguruza of Spain,
6-3, 4-6, 6-4. In the final, Halep will take on Karolina Pliskova of the Czech
Republic (4 WTA), who in the semis ousted another Czech player, Marketa
Vondrousova (19 WTA). Aged 28, Halep will play her third final in Rome. In 2017
and 2018 she lost the final to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

21 September 2020
September 7, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19
– Some 900 new cases of SARS CoV-2 have been reported in the last 24 hours in
Romania, taking the total number of infections to some 96.000. The official
death toll has exceeded 3.900. 465 patients are currently in intensive care.
6.600 Romanians living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, mostly in
Germany, Italy and Spain. Of these 126 have died.

CAMPAIGN
– The campaign for the local election due on September 27 continues in Romania
with the observance of measures aimed at preventing the pandemic from
spreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
all people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
have to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
measures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
minimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
activities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events,
the participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one
of the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the
mandates of local officials were extended by another six months.

ELECTION
– The Permanent Election Authority on Monday announced some 3.032 Romanians
living abroad have enrolled for postal voting, while 1.059 voters have registered
for casting votes in the polls. The Authority recalls that eligible voters can
register for physical or postal voting over April 1 – September 21. The
president of the Permanent Election Authority, Constantin-Florin Mituleţu-Buică
has recommended all citizens in the diaspora opt for postal voting, the safest
way to cast their vote remotely, at zero costs and risks, all the more so in
the given crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic.

DIPLOMACY
– ‘Increasing Romania’s role inside the EU and NATO and also consolidating and
expanding the Strategic Partnership with the United States remain the key lines
in Romania’s foreign policy’, is the message conveyed by the country’s
president, Klaus Iohannis at the Romanian Diplomacy Annual Meeting. According
to the president, in the wake of the pandemic crisis, the Romanian diplomacy is
going to embrace some new facets and that involves additional ingenuity and
flexibility. The present Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy has been held
online for the first time as videoconference and is going to last three days
under the title, ‘The impact of the pandemic over the international tendencies
and the Romanian diplomacy response’. High on the agenda are the impact of the
medical crisis over the international relations and global tendencies as well
as the adjustment of the Romanian diplomacy instruments in this context. The
guest list this year includes the head of the European diplomacy Josep Borrell
and NATO’s deputy secretary general, Romanian Mircea Geoana.

SCHOOL YEAR
– Romania’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said the school year begins on
September 14, at the same time underlining that people’s right to education is
fundamental. The Romanian official has explained local authorities are allowed
to establish their own scenarios depending on the epidemiological situation in
their region. In Bucharest the infection rate in the past two weeks has stood
at 1.19 per thousand, which places the capital city in the yellow zone and that
allows for the students’ return to schools. 43 localities have been placed in
the red zone, where students are taking only online courses, while over 27
hundred localities are in the green zone, allowing normal school attendance.
The Health Ministry will this week provide direction lines for the organization
of activity in education institutions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

BREXIT -
Negotiations on post-Brexit relations between the EU and the UK will resume on
Tuesday in London. British chief negotiator for Brexit, David Frost, has
recently said that London does not fear a failure in reaching an agreement on
trade. On the other hand, EU chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier,
expressed concern and disappointment with the progress of negotiations. The two
parties have only weeks at their disposal to settle the negotiations. According
to officials in Brussels, negotiations will end next month. If an agreement is
reached, Member States will require time to ratify it before taking effect on
January 1, 2021, when the EU will officially leave the EU.

(Translated
by D. Bilt & V. Palcu)

7 September 2020
August 30, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 952 new COVID infections have been reported
in Romania in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication
announced on Sunday. 39 people have died, taking the death toll to 3.578. 7.213
people infected with SARS CoV-2 are now hospitalized, 492 people being in
intensive care. 9.132 people are in home isolation while 5.839 are in
institutionalized isolation. 32.955 are in home quarantine while 71 in
institutionalized quarantine. 6.589 Romanians living abroad have tested
positive for COVID-19, of whom 126 have died.

COVID-19 WORLDWIDE – The number of COVID infections has exceeded
25 million worldwide, the official death toll standing at some 840.000. Nearly
40% of the total number of cases have been reported in the United States, where
182.000 people have died, as well as in Brazil, the second-most affected
country, with over 120.000 deaths. This morning, India has confirmed the
biggest daily increase in the number of new infections, over 78.000. In Europe,
Hungary will shut down its borders starting September 1 to limit the spread of
the virus. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Saturday had a
telephone conversation with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, the
latter saying the transit of Romanian nationals to their home country would not
be affected. In turn, Poland will ban flights to 46 countries, including
Romania, starting September 2. Ukraine too has shut down its borders to foreign
citizens, with some exceptions. People exempted to this ban must present a
medical insurance upon crossing the border, which should cover the costs of a
potential COVID treatment and related quarantine expenses.

ELECTION – The campaign for the local election due on September 27
continues in Romania. The authorities have announced the set of regulations
candidates and their teams must observe to prevent the coronavirus from
spreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
all people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
have to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
measures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
minimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
activities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events, the
participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one of
the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Cultural events will be held on Monday in
Romania, the Republic of Moldova and abroad to mark Romanian Language Day. Set
up on August 31, 2013, the event pays an homage to the national reawakening
movement in the Republic of Moldova. On August 31, 1989, some 750 thousand
people, a sixth of the Republic’s population at the time, protested in front of
the Parliament building in Chisinau, which decided to declare Romanian an
official state language and switch to the Latin alphabet and replace the Cyrillic
alphabet, which had been used since 1940, when the USSR annexed Moldova.

MOTION – Parliament on Monday is debating and voting a
no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government. The Social-Democrats in
opposition are accusing Ludovic Orban’s cabinet of poor management of the corona
crisis. In turn, the Government has referred the motion to the Constitutional
Court, as Parliament is in its summer recess. President Klaus Iohannis has said
the Social-Democrats are trying to generate political instability that would
benefit their election campaign.

STATISTICS – 5% of Romanian students were enrolled in universities
abroad in 2018, the EUROSTAT reports. At European level, 8% of students were
studying abroad. The leader of this ranking is Luxembourg, with a 48% share of
the total number of students, Cyprus with 24%, Austria, the Czech Republic and
the Netherlands. The lowest shares were reported in Croatia and Greece, 3%,
followed by Spain and Poland, 4%, and Lithuania and Romania, 5%. In 2018, some
408 thousand students were officially enrolled in state and private
universities. Of these, 6% were foreigners.

HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team HC Dobrogea Sud
Constanta on Saturday defeated HC Victor Stavropol of Russia 26-18 in the first
leg of the EHF European League first preliminary round. In the same
competition, AHC Potaissa Turda lost 24-26 to HRK Gorica of Croatia at home.
The return leg is scheduled next week. The Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest
will play directly in the European League group phase, to kick off in October.

GEORGE ENESCU – The George Enescu prestigious international music
contest continues in Bucharest. Some 205 young musicians from 39 countries are
enrolled in the competition, 184 in the violin, cello and piano sections and 21
in the composition sections. Total prizes stand at €100.000. The competition is
unfolding mostly online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

30 August 2020
August 30, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 952 new COVID infections have been reported
in Romania in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication
announced on Sunday. 39 people have died, taking the death toll to 3.578. 7.213
people infected with SARS CoV-2 are now hospitalized, 492 people being in
intensive care. 9.132 people are in home isolation while 5.839 are in
institutionalized isolation. 32.955 are in home quarantine while 71 in
institutionalized quarantine. 6.589 Romanians living abroad have tested
positive for COVID-19, of whom 126 have died.

COVID-19 WORLDWIDE – The number of COVID infections has exceeded
25 million worldwide, the official death toll standing at some 840.000. Nearly
40% of the total number of cases have been reported in the United States, where
182.000 people have died, as well as in Brazil, the second-most affected
country, with over 120.000 deaths. This morning, India has confirmed the
biggest daily increase in the number of new infections, over 78.000. In Europe,
Hungary will shut down its borders starting September 1 to limit the spread of
the virus. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Saturday had a
telephone conversation with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, the
latter saying the transit of Romanian nationals to their home country would not
be affected. In turn, Poland will ban flights to 46 countries, including
Romania, starting September 2. Ukraine too has shut down its borders to foreign
citizens, with some exceptions. People exempted to this ban must present a
medical insurance upon crossing the border, which should cover the costs of a
potential COVID treatment and related quarantine expenses.

ELECTION – The campaign for the local election due on September 27
continues in Romania. The authorities have announced the set of regulations
candidates and their teams must observe to prevent the coronavirus from
spreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
all people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
have to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
measures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
minimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
activities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events, the
participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one of
the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Cultural events will be held on Monday in
Romania, the Republic of Moldova and abroad to mark Romanian Language Day. Set
up on August 31, 2013, the event pays an homage to the national reawakening
movement in the Republic of Moldova. On August 31, 1989, some 750 thousand
people, a sixth of the Republic’s population at the time, protested in front of
the Parliament building in Chisinau, which decided to declare Romanian an
official state language and switch to the Latin alphabet and replace the Cyrillic
alphabet, which had been used since 1940, when the USSR annexed Moldova.

MOTION – Parliament on Monday is debating and voting a
no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government. The Social-Democrats in
opposition are accusing Ludovic Orban’s cabinet of poor management of the corona
crisis. In turn, the Government has referred the motion to the Constitutional
Court, as Parliament is in its summer recess. President Klaus Iohannis has said
the Social-Democrats are trying to generate political instability that would
benefit their election campaign.

STATISTICS – 5% of Romanian students were enrolled in universities
abroad in 2018, the EUROSTAT reports. At European level, 8% of students were
studying abroad. The leader of this ranking is Luxembourg, with a 48% share of
the total number of students, Cyprus with 24%, Austria, the Czech Republic and
the Netherlands. The lowest shares were reported in Croatia and Greece, 3%,
followed by Spain and Poland, 4%, and Lithuania and Romania, 5%. In 2018, some
408 thousand students were officially enrolled in state and private
universities. Of these, 6% were foreigners.

HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team HC Dobrogea Sud
Constanta on Saturday defeated HC Victor Stavropol of Russia 26-18 in the first
leg of the EHF European League first preliminary round. In the same
competition, AHC Potaissa Turda lost 24-26 to HRK Gorica of Croatia at home.
The return leg is scheduled next week. The Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest
will play directly in the European League group phase, to kick off in October.

GEORGE ENESCU – The George Enescu prestigious international music
contest continues in Bucharest. Some 205 young musicians from 39 countries are
enrolled in the competition, 184 in the violin, cello and piano sections and 21
in the composition sections. Total prizes stand at €100.000. The competition is
unfolding mostly online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

30 August 2020