Radio România Internațional

Tag: local elections romania

  • June 5, 2016 UPDATE

    June 5, 2016 UPDATE

    LOCAL ELECTIONS UPDATE – Bucharesters have for the first time elected a woman for the position of mayor: senator Gabriela Vranceanu Firea, a member of the Social Democratic Party, show exit polls issued on Sunday evening, at the closure of polling stations. A former controversial journalist, who joined the Social Democratic Party 4 years ago, Gabriela Vranceanu-Firea, 44, got 41% of the votes, being followed by Nicusor Dan, the leader of the Save Bucharest Union, a former NGO turned into a party, who got 30% and the leader of the National Liberal Party, Catalin Predoiu with 14%. According to the same polls, the Social Democratic Party has claimed at least 5 of the 6 sectors of the capital Bucharest. The Social Democrats and their allies from the National Union for the Progress of Romania obtained about 40% of the votes for Bucharest’s General Council, followed by the Save Bucharest Union whose percentage varies between 19% and 25%, and the Liberals with 19%. The turnout in Bucharest was only 33%, much below the national average of 48%. With almost 70% of the votes, the former PM Emil Boc from the Liberal Party remains the mayor of the biggest city in northwestern Romania, Cluj-Napoca. These local elections took place in one round, the winner being the candidate who got the simple majority of the votes cast. The measure has been criticized by civil society representatives and the media, which claim that, in the context of a low voter turnout, the future mayors will be considered illegitimate.



    IOHANNIS – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, will pay a visit to Luxembourg on Monday and Tuesday at the invitation of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The Romanian official will also meet with the prime minister Xavier Bettel, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Mars di Bartolomeo, and the foreign minister, Jean Asselborn. The talks will focus on deepening the political and sectoral relations between Romania and Luxembourg, with special emphasis on boosting economic cooperation as well as cooperation in the fields of research, development and industrial innovation. Another issue under debate will be the preparation of the NATO summit to be held in Warsaw, in July. On the occasion of the visit, the two officials will sign the Exchange Program in the fields of science and technology, education, culture and sports between the government of Romania and Luxembourg, valid for the period 2016- 2021.



    MILITARY DRILL – Romanian, American and British soldiers are participating, as of Monday, in the SARMIS-16 multinational drill to be held in Cincu, central Romania. The exercises, which will come to an end on June 18, will be attended by 1,200 soldiers with the Romanian ground forces, 150 British and 200 American soldiers. Aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces will also participate in the military drill.



    FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football team on Sunday reached France where they will participate in the finals of the European Championship. Romania will meet the French eleven on June 10 in Paris, in the opening match. They are playing in a group which also includes Switzerland and Albania. In the last training match held Friday in Bucharest the Romanian footballers defeated the Georgian eleven 5-1. In the previous matches, in Italy the Romanians drew the match with the team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1-1 and lost to Ukraine 3-4.



    GYMNASYCS – The Romanian gymnast Catalina Ponor on Sunday won 2 bronze medals in the apparatus finals, in the floor and beam events, at the European Gymnastics Championships held in Berne, Switzerland. Ponor, 28, is one of the gymnasts who has obtained the most medals in the history of Romanian gymnastics. She also won 3 gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and another 7 continental titles.



    SMURD – 3 of the 4 crew members of the SMURD Romanian emergency rescue service, who died in a helicopter crash in the neighboring Republic of Moldova, were buried with military funeral honors on Sunday, in Iasi (northeastern Romania). The fourth victim was buried with military funeral honors in Bacau (northeastern Romania). Physician Dumea Mihaela, principal medical assistant Sandu Adrian-Gabriel, commander Gavril Ilie Doru and captain-commander Şocae Constantin Voicu were decorated, post mortem, for their professionalism, humaneness and spirit of sacrifice proved in the many rescue missions they participated in. The helicopter crashed during a mission, 20 kms from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau.


    (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • June 5, 2016

    June 5, 2016

    39.17% of the registered voters in Romania had cast their votes in the local elections, 3 hours before the closing of polling stations, show data provided by the Central Electoral Bureau. Over 250,000 candidates are running for the position of mayor and local councilor in Romania’s almost 3,200 cities and communes and for the position of county councilor in Romania’s 41 counties. For the citizens of other EU member states, who have legal residence in Romania, additional election lists have been drafted for them to be able to elect their local representatives. For the first time the polling stations have been equipped with computer voter identification systems to monitor voter turnout and prevent multiple voting. These local elections are taking place in one round, the winner being the one who gets the simple majority of the votes cast. The measure has been criticized by civil society representatives and the media, that claim that, in the context of a low voter turnout, some of the elected mayors will be considered illegitimate.



    The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, will pay a visit to Luxembourg on Monday and Tuesday at the invitation of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The Romanian official will also meet with the prime minister Xavier Bettel, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Mars di Bartolomeo, and the foreign minister, Jean Asselborn. The talks will focus on deepening the political and sectoral relations between Romania and Luxembourg, with special emphasis on boosting economic cooperation as well as cooperation in the fields of research, development and industrial innovation. Another issue under debate will be the preparation of the NATO summit to be held in Warsaw, in July. On the occasion of the visit, the two officials will sign the Exchange Program in the fields of science and technology, education, culture and sports between the government of Romania and Luxembourg, valid for the period 2016- 2021.



    The film “Dogs” by the Romanian director Bogdan Mirică is the winner of this year’s edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival TIFF. The director received the award on Saturday night from the minister of culture, Corina Şuteu. The film Dogs, the only Romanian movie registered in the TIFF 2016 competition, received the critics’ award in the 2016 edition of the Cannes Festival. Film producer Iain Smith, who produced such movies as ‘Mad Max’ and ‘The fifth element’ received the TIFF Special Prize for his contribution to World Cinematography while the actress Carmen Galin was awarded the festival’s Prize of Excellence. The audience’s Prize went to the film ‘Open door’ — La Puerta Abierta by director Marina Seresesky while the FIPRESCI award granted by the foreign press went to the film “Neon Bull” directed by Gabriel Mascaro. An outstanding personality of world cinematography, actress Sofia Loren received the Lifetime Achievement Award.



    Romania’s women’s’ handball team was defeated by the team of Belarus 23-20 on Saturday in Piatra Neamt, in their last match in the preliminary Group 1 of the European Championship to be hosted by Sweden in December 2016. Romania’s team qualified, however, to the final tournament in Sweden on Wednesday when they defeated the Lithuanian team in Kaunas, in the last but one leg of the group. Romania’s women’s’ handball team will also participate in this summer’s Olympic Games hosted by Rio de Janeiro. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)