Radio România Internațional

Tag: Sandu

October 9, 2019

VOTE
Tomorrow is a decisive day for the cabinet led by Social-Democrat Viorica
Dancila. As Romania will see presidential election next month, senators and
deputies are to debate upon a censure motion tabled last week. The opposition
is blaming the government for having lost European funds, the lack of
infrastructure and the disastrous situations in the healthcare, justice and
education systems. The National Liberal Party of president Klaus Iohannis says
it is ready for both snap election and for ruling the country until the
Parliamentary election next year. The People’s Movement Party (PMP) has voiced
its readiness to assume a future government, while the Save Romania Union (USR)
believes that staging snap election is the main solution to the political crisis
currently facing Romania. PRO Romania, a splinter group from the ruling PSD
will cast their vote in an open ballot and the group’s leader Victor Ponta
announced that if the censure motion passed, he would propose the
Social-Democrats a government formula with an independent Prime Minister backed
by a majority made up of the PSD, ALDE and PRO Romania. ALDE, a former ruling
political group believes the Romanian president will not accept a Prime
Minister from a majority the PSD is part of. The Democratic Union of Ethnic
Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) will vote the motion in a secret ballot and it is
not willing to become part of a provisional government. Prime Minister Dancila
has accused the opposition of lacking political responsibility and is convinced
her cabinet will remain in power. The motion has been signed by 237 MPs and it
needs 233 votes to pass.

RANKING Romania comes 51st, a position higher than last
year, in a ranking of the world’s most competitive economies, the latest report
published by the World Economic Forum shows. Romania scored 64.4 points out of
100 and is lagging behind countries like the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia,
Russia, Hungary and Bulgaria, but still ahead of countries like Greece, Turkey,
Serbia and the Republic of Moldova. Singapore overtakes the United States as
the world’s most competitive economy this year. The last countries in the
ranking are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen and Chad. The report
measures economic competitiveness based on some indicators such as
infrastructure, healthcare, labour market, the financial system, the quality of
public institutions and economic openness.

HOLOCAUST Every year on October 9th
Romania pays homage to the Holocaust victims. On this day in 1941, Jews from
Romania started to be deported to Transdniester, currently in the Republic of
Moldova. On Tuesday, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis promulgated a law on the
setting up of the National History Museum of Jews and the Holocaust in Romania
in capital city Bucharest. The institution will be housing a permanent
exhibition presenting the history of the Jewish community in Romania from the
17th century up to the present day.

PARTNERSHIP The ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova will have in
Romania the most sincere and committed partner in the region and in the
European Union, the statement belongs to Romania’s Foreign Minister Ramona
Manescu currently paying a formal visit to Chisinau, the local radio station
has announced. In a news conference with her Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu,
the Romanian official has said that the gas pipeline linking the city of Iasi
in eastern Romania to Ungheni in the Republic of Moldova will become
operational in the spring of next year allowing the ex-soviet Republic to not
depend upon a single source of supply. The two officials have signed a roadmap,
which provides for cooperation in the transport infrastructure, finances,
agriculture, justice, education or interior affairs. The Romanian official will
also be having talks with Moldovan Prime Minister Maia Sandu.

(translated by bill 51)

9 October 2019
01.09.2019

Das Zweikammerparlament in Bukarest beginnt am Montag die zweite ordentliche Sitzung dieses Jahres. Der Senat steht kurz vor der Wahl eines neuen Präsidenten, nachdem der Vorsitzende der ALDE, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, nach dem Rückzug der Liberaldemokraten aus der von der PSD dominierten Allianz, angekündigt hat sein Amt niederzulegen. “Am Montag, dem ersten Tagungstag des Senats, werde ich offiziell meinen Rücktritt verkünden”, sagte er vor einer Woche, als die ALDE in die Opposition trat und sich mit Pro Romania zusammenschloss, der vom ehemaligen Premierministers Victor Ponta geführten sozialdemokratischen Partei. Drei liberaldemokratische Minister, Graţiela Gavrilescu vom Umweltministerium, Viorel Ilie verantwortlich für die Beziehungen zum Parlament und Anton Anton vom Energieministerium, legten ihre Rücktritte vor. Die kürzlich investierte Au‎ßenministerin Ramona Mănescu zog es vor, aus ALDE auszutreten, um ihr Portfolio zu behalten. Die sozialdemokratische Ministerpräsidentin Viorica Dăncilă erklärte, die PSD habe weiterhin die Macht, das Regierungsprogramm, mit dem sie die Parlamentswahlen 2016 gewann, anzuwenden. Präsident Klaus Iohannis forderte das Kabinett, das mittlerweile eine Minderheitsregierung darstellt auf, eine neue Bestätigung im Parlament einzuholen. Er teilte des weiteren mit, dass er die ihm vom der Ministerpräsidentin unterbreiteten Vorschläge zur Umbildung vollständig ablehne. Die rechte Opposition hat angekündigt, einen Misstrauensantrag einzureichen und sich bereit erklärt, die Regierungsverantwortung zu übernehmen. Dafür brachte es jedoch die Forderung nach vorgezogenen Wahlen ins Spiel. Die regulären Wahlen würden nächstes Jahr stattfinden.

Die rumänische Premierministerin Viorica Dancila hat angekündigt, sie werde mit Präsident Klaus Iohannis telefonisch über die Interimsbesetzung der drei Ministerien, welche die ALDE innehatte. Dancila warnte, sie werde sich an das Verfassungsgericht wenden, wenn der Präsident die neuen sozialdemokratischen Vorschläge zur Leitung der Ministerien für Energie, Umwelt und Beziehung zu Parlament nicht akzeptiert. Dancila hat auch gesagt, dass eine Regierungsumbildung, die dem Parlament vorgelegt werden sollte, keine Dringlichkeit darstelle. Diese Entscheidungen wurden am Sonnabend auf einer Sitzung des Vorstands der Sozialdemokratischen Partei in Mamaia, an der Schwarzmeerküste, getroffen.

Die Renten in Rumänien steigen beginnend mit dem 1. September um 15 %. Dies teilte Arbeitsminister Marius Budai mit. Rund 5 Millionen Rentner im öffentlichen System kommt die Erhöhung zugute. Das neue Rentengesetz sieht eine schrittweise Erhöhung des Rentenpunkts beginnend mit dem heutigen Tag und bis 2022 sowie die Neuberechnung von Millionen anderer Renten vor. Nach dem neuen Gesetz werden Doktor- und Masterarbeiten zum Rentenalter hinzugezählt. Es eröffnet die Möglichkeit bis zu 5 Rentenbeitragsjahre zu kaufen und schreibt vor, dass auf die Mindestrente nur diejenigen Anspruch haben, die mindestens 15 einen Rentenbeitrag gezahlt haben.

Der Internationale Währungsfonds hat den rumänischen Behörden empfohlen, einen Prozess der nachhaltigen Haushaltskonsolidierung einzuleiten, das neue Rentengesetz, das am Sonntag in Kraft treten soll, zu überdenken und das Management in staatlichen Unternehmen zu verbessern. Laut einem IWF-Bericht würde das rumänische Wirtschaftswachstum 2019 bei rund 4 % bleiben und sich mittelfristig auf 3 % verlangsamen. Nach Ansicht des IWF müssen die rumänischen Behörden vor dem Hintergrund der zunehmenden Instabilität die derzeitigen wirtschaftlichen Fortschritte nutzen, um einen nachhaltigen Prozess der Haushaltskonsolidierung einzuleiten. Schätzungen zufolge wird das rumänische Haushaltsdefizit im Jahr 2019 ca. 3,7 % des BIP ausmachen, wenn keine zusätzlichen Ma‎ßnahmen ergriffen werden.

Die proeuropäische Premierministerin der Moldau, Maia Sandu setzt ihren Besuch in den Vereinigten Staaten fort. Laut dem Korrespondenten von Radio Rumänien in der moldauischen Hauptstadt, hat Sandu das Treffen mit US-Staatssekretär Mike Pompeo als das Wichtigste gewertet. Sie vermied es jedoch die Gesprächsagenda zu benennen. Sandu wird auch mit Beamten des Verteidigungsministeriums, der Central Intelligence Agency und der Millennium Challenge Corporation Gespräche führen. Dem Besuch Sandu‘s in Washington war der Besuch des nationalen Sicherheitsberaters John Bolton in Chisinau vorausgegangen. Bolton sagte, dass die USA die Souveränität und Unabhängigkeit der Republik Moldau unterstützen, die ihre Zukunft ohne Einflüsse aus dem Ausland entscheiden muss.

Fünf Veranstaltungen sind für Sonntag, den zweiten Tag des Internationalen George Enescu Musik Festivals, geplant. Das erste Konzert der diesjährigen Ausgabe gaben am Sonnabendabend im Rumänischen Athenäum in Bukarest die Berliner Philharmoniker unter der Leitung von Kiril Petrenko. Das zentrale Thema der diesjährigen Ausgabe des Festivals ist Welt in Harmonie“. Vladimir Jurowski ist der Leiter des Festivals. Bis zum 22. September werden neben Bukarest in weiteren 10 Städte in Rumänien sowie in Deutschland, Frankreich, Italien, Kanada und Moldawien unter dem Namen des Festivals Konzerte gegeben.

1 September 2019
August 31, 2019

IMF The International Monetary Fund
recommends the Romanian authorities to kick off a process of sustainable fiscal
consolidation to reassess the new pension law, which is to come into effect on
Sunday and to improve management in state-owned companies. According to an IMF
report, the Romanian economic growth would stay around 4% in 2019 and slow down
to 3% on medium term. According to the IMF, against the backdrop of raising
vulnerabilities the Romanian authorities need to capitalize on the present
economic progress to kick off a sustainable process of fiscal consolidation. According
to estimates, Romania’s budget deficit will account for 3.7% of the GDP in 2019
unless additional measures are taken. Furthermore the IMF experts believe the
fresh pension law passed in June 2019 needs to be reassessed as it may
jeopardize the fiscal sustainability.

FESTIVAL Between August 31st and
September 22nd Bucharest will be playing venue for the 24th edition of the
George Enescu International Festival, the biggest edition of this event so far.
This edition’s central theme is ‘The world in Harmony’ and the festival’s
artistic director is Vladimir Jurowski. Bucharest and 10 other cities in
Romania and abroad in countries like Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the
Republic of Moldova are also to be hosting events associated with this
prestigious international festival of classical music in honor of Romania’s
greatest composer. The festival is expected to bring together 25 hundred of the
world’s best musicians who will be performing in 84 concerts and recitals. 24
concerts will be hosted by Romania’s major cities, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara,
Iasi, Sibiu, Targu Mures, Bacau, Barlad, Targoviste, Satu Mare and Piatra
Neamt. The 2019 edition of this festival is expected to include 34 premieres
and 25 first performances by artists like Marion Cotillard, Kiril Petrenko,
Mitsuko Uchida as well as nine of the world’s best orchestras. Concerts and
recitals have been grouped in six big sections: ‘Greatest World Orchestras’,
‘Midnight Concertos’, ‘Chamber Music Recitals and Concertos’, ’21st Century
Music’, ‘Mozart Week in Residence’ and ‘The Composers International Forum’. The
festival will also include conferences, book and album launches as well as
other events.

LANGUAGE Cultural events staged
concurrently in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and the Romanian communities
abroad are today marking the Romanian Language Day. The event, which was
endorsed by the Romanian Parliament in 2013, is held concurrently with the
national celebration in the neighboring Republic of Moldova to honour the
national awakening movement in the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking country. We
recall that on August 31st 1989 during the Soviet Union, under the
pressure of 750 thousand protesters, Parliament in Chisinau declared Romanian
as the country’s official language choosing the Latin alphabet instead of the
Cyrillic one imposed by the Soviet invaders after the country’s annexation in
1940.

VISIT Maia Sandu, the pro-Western
Prime Minister of the neighboring Republic of Moldova (an ex-soviet
Romanian-speaking country), is paying a four-day visit to the United States for
talks on ways of deepening the strategic bilateral dialogue. According to Radio
Romania correspondents in Chisinau, Sandu mentioned the visit’s most important
moment is the meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo but didn’t refer to the
talks agenda. The Moldovan official is expected to also have talks with
officials from the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency and
the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Sandu’s visit to Washington had been
preceded by the visit the National Security Advisor John Bolton paid to
Chisinau. Bolton said the USA supports the sovereignty and independence of the
Republic of Moldova, which has to decide its future without influences from
abroad. Bolton also said that Washington supports the government’s efforts for
settling the conflict in the breakaway pro-Russia region of Transdniester,
which had broken out of Chisinau’s control in 1992.

(translated by bill)

31 August 2019
July 9, 2019

GRECO Romania has made little progress to put in place measures to
prevent corruption among parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors and to
address the concerns raised by its controversial judicial reform says the
Council of Europe’s anti-corruption institution GRECO in two reports that it
has published today. GRECO is deeply concerned
by the fact that the authorities have disregarded the recommendation to abandon
the setting-up of the section for the investigation of the offences in the
judiciary. On the other hand GRECO hails the announcement made by Prime
Minister Dancila regarding the intention to give up the controversial justice
reforms. GRECO decides to continue to evaluate Romania’s complying with the
recommendations included in the two reports and has called on the authorities
to report back on the progress achieved by June 30th 2020.

PSD
Leaders of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main component of the ruling
coalition in Bucharest have today begun talks about government reshuffle. These
talks might take several weeks, during which the activity of ministries is to
be assessed – the party’s new leader, Viorica Dancila, has announced. After the
assessment, the Social Democrats will decide which ministers should be
replaced. According to the Prime Minister, the PSD candidate to the
presidential election this autumn will be established based on a poll in the
first half of August. We recall that Prime Minister Dancila went to the helm of
the party after the coalition’s strongman Liviu Dragnea had been arrested on
corruption charges. We recall that the PSD also lost the European Parliament
election to the opposition National Liberal Party while its partner ALDE failed
to clear the 5% threshold.

TENNIS Romanian
tennis player Simona Halep, currently ranking 7th in the world standings, will
be up against Chinese Zhang Shuai in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon
tournament, the third Grand Slam competition of the year. On Monday, Halep
outperformed the tournamnet’s revelation, 15-year-old US challenger Cori Gauff.
Halep’s best Wimbeldon performance was in 2014, when she made it to the
semifinals. Also today, Romanians Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu are playing
against Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. In
the men’s double, Horia Tecau of Romania and his Dutch partner Jean-Julien
Rojer will be taking on Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Columbia in
the quarter finals. We recall that Tecau and Rojer won the tournament in 2015.

FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions, CFR Cluj will today be playing FC
Astana of Kazakhstan in an away game counting towards the first preliminary round
of the Champions League. On Thursday in the first preliminary round of the
Europa League, FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, will be up against
Milsami Orhei of the neighboring Republic of Moldova in a home match, while CSU
Craiova will be playing in an away fixture FK Sabail of Azerbaijan. The return
games are due next week. Romanian Cup holder, Viitorul Constanta, will be
playing directly in the Europa League’s second preliminary round against
Belgian side FC Anvers, coached by former Romanian international Ladislau
Boloni.

PROSECUTOR The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet,
Romanian-speaking country might today launch procedures to revoke its chief
prosecutor Eduard Harujen, accused of having carried out the political orders
of the former government. Appointed in 2006, the former chief prosecutor
prosecuted political files upon requests coming from the country’s former
ruling Democratic Party headed by the controversial tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc.
The country’s new Prime Minister Maia Sandu has announced she would like a
European Prosecutor to take over Harujen’s job adding that she has conveyed an
invitation in this respect to the former head of Romania’s Anti-corruption
Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. However, the country’s pro-Russia president
Socialist Igor Dodon is not comfortable with the idea of having a European
prosecutor in Chisinau. We recall that Kovesi is presently running against
French Jean-Francoise Bohnert for the position of chief of the future European
Prosecutor’s Office, which might become operational next year.

PROPOSAL Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has proposed the former
MEP Social-Democrat Ioan Mircea Pascu for the position of interim commissioner
for regional policies to replace Corina Cretu, who was elected MEP on May 26th.
The move comes after the EU Council has rejected a proposal by the head of the EU
Executive Jean Claude Juncker that other commissioners should take over positions
left vacant after the elections for the next four months that remained from the
mandate of the present commissioners. The main argument invoked by the European
Commission was that referring to budget expenses. ‘We regret the Council’s
decision not to accept the proposal, but the responsibility on this is now
entirely with the Council’, a spokesperson for the Executive told our
correspondent in Brussels. A veteran leftist politician who got involved in the
country’s political life shortly after the anti-communist revolution of 1989,
Pascu, 70, was Defence Minister in 2004 the year of Romania’s entry into NATO
and an MEP when the country joined the European Union in 2007.

(translated by bill)

9 July 2019
July 5, 2019

BONDS The Romanian Finance Ministry has today issued government bonds for
population part of a Treasury Programme with interest rates ranging between
3.5% and 5% a year depending on their maturity date. According to the ministry,
the interest is 3.50% for bonds due in one year, while those due in two years
will have an interest rate of 4%. A maturity period of 5 years means an
interest rate of 5% and subscriptions can be made until July 31st
2019. Revenue earned by
individuals in the subscription and holding of government securities is not
taxed. The ministry has issued Treasury bonds for the population with interest
rates between 3.5% and 5% per year on a monthly basis since February this year.

NATO The ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova wants to
cooperate with NATO in order to improve its own defence system, the country’s
new Prime Minister pro-European Maia Sandu told the Alliance’s Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels. According to polls, the Republic of
Moldova’s entry into NATO is supported only by 20% of its population whereas 60%
are against it. Sworn in last month, Maia Sandu on Tuesday paid her first visit
to neighboring Romania at the invitation of Romanian president Klaus Iohannis
upon which she went to Brussels for talks with NATO and EU officials.

TENNIS The world’s number 7 tennis player, Simona Halep of Romania, will
today be playing Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the third round of the Grand
Slam tournament in Wimbledon. A former world leader, Halep is the only Romanian
left on the women’s main draw at Wimbledon. Monica Niculescu and Irina Begu
have qualified for the next stage of the women’s doubles after a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
win against Daria Kasatkina of Russia and Anett Kontaveit of Estonia. In the
second round the Romanians will be up against Xinyun Han of China and Oksana
Kalashnikova of Georgia. A Romanian-Dutch pair made up of Horia Tecau and
Jean-Julien Rojer have qualified for the competition’s round of 32 where they
are going to take on Fabrice Martin of France and Hugo Nys of Monaco.

FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj and Viitorul Constanta,
winner of the Romanian Cup, will be meeting in Ploiesti, southern Romania, for
Romania’s Supercup on Saturday night. CFR have reaped their fifth championship
title this year, which is also their second consecutive title while Viitorul
have clinched their first Cup trophy. The two sides will this month be
representing Romania in the preliminaries of European cups: in the Champions
League, CFR will be taking on FC Astana of Kazakhstan while in Europa League
Viitorul will be up against Belgian side Anvers, coached by the former Romanian
international Ladislau Boloni. Also in the Europa League, FCSB, formerly known
as Steaua Bucharest, will be playing Milsami Orhei from the neighboring Republic
of Moldova, while CSU Craiova will meet FK Sabail of Azerbaijan.

NEVERSEA The city of Constanta, on the Romanian
Black Sea Coast, is hosting the Neversea Festival, the largest music festival
in Europe held on a beach. 150 famous artists will be performing for four days
on the Modern beach before an audience of some 200,000 people. The list of
guests includes Afrojack, G-Eazy, Jessy J, DJ Snake, Sean Paul, Lost
Frequencies, Kadebostany, Salvatore Ganacci and Dub FX. Special security
measures have been put in place to ensure the smooth running of the event. The
festival’s budget amounts to some 9 million Euros this year.

(translated by bill)

5 July 2019
June 11, 2019

FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side on Monday night clinched
a 4-0 win against the selection of Malta in group F of the 2020 European
Football Championship preliminaries. On Friday Romania ended their away game
against Norway in a 2-all draw but in March they lost to Sweden in Stockholm
2-1. Our footballers have also secured a 4-1 home win against the Faeroe Islands.
Spain tops the table with 12 points followed by Sweden and Romania, each with 7
points. The preliminaries are to resume in September when Romania will be up
against Spain in Bucharest. The first two sides in the group will book tickets
for the final tournament whose lots are to be drawn in Bucharest on November 30th.
The Romanian capital is to host four matches of the final tournament, three in
the group stage and one in the round of 16. We recall that also this month,
Romania’s Under 21 football selection will be playing in the European
Championship in Italy and San Marino. Romania is part of group C together with
England, France and Croatia.

EXPLANATIONS Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has today been
invited to the Chamber of Deputies upon a request from the opposition National
Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union to speak in the ‘Government’s Hour’.
Also on Tuesday the Senate is debating upon a simple motion tabled against the
Foreign Minister on the situation during the May 26th election when many
Romanians abroad had difficulty in casting their ballot. The opposition MPs are
calling for Melescanu’s resignation. On Monday the Foreign Minister again asked
the Romanians abroad to forgive him but said that the Ministry had fulfilled its
legal obligations. Melescanu has announced that talks are to be held at the
embassies where voters faced difficulty during the elections in order to find
the culprits and see to it that the situation will not repeat.

FILE The Prosecutor General of the Republic of
Moldova, an ex-Soviet Romanian-speaking country, has opened a file on the
possible funding of the Socialist Party of president Igor Dodon by the Russian
Federation. In another development, Dodon has announced that he cancelled the
decree signed by Pavel Filip on dismantling Parliament and staging snap election
on September 6th. On June 9th the Constitutional Court in
the Republic of Moldova suspended Dodon from the position of president and
appointed Prime Minister Pavel Filip as the country’s interim president. The
Democratic Party of controversial businessman Vlad Plahotniuc believes the
legal government is that led by Filip. The first meeting of the new cabinet led
by pro-European Maia Sandu, which enjoys the Socialists’ support, in spite of
the Constitutional Court’s invalidation took place on Monday. Sandu has given
assurances the government will succeed in unblocking foreign funding,
especially from the EU. The meeting was held on the Parliament premises as the
new cabinet was denied access to the government building, which is controlled
by the executive team of Filip. The Democratic Party has invited all the
Parliament parties to identify solutions for overcoming the political deadlock.
Andrei Nastase, one of the leaders of the ACUM bloc, has answered favorably,
saying these talks must take place.

CONFERENCE Romania’s Foreign Ministry is today staging
an international conference on the strategic partnership relations between the
EU and China. The event, which is held under the auspices of Romania’s
presidency of the EU, is aimed at promoting an inclusive dialogue platform for
the relations between the EU and China. High on the agenda are talks about the
future strategic EU-China partnership, the Europe-Asia connectivity and the
cooperation between the EU and China in a multilateral format. The event has
brought together representatives of the foreign ministries and the academic
world from the EU members and China, as well as representatives of the European
institutions.

(translated by bill)

11 June 2019
Severe political crisis in the Republic of Moldova

The pro-Russian Socialist President of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon has requested international mediation for the political crisis in Chisinau, one of unprecedented magnitude in the nearly 3 decades since the country declared its independence. Essentially, the 2 sides in the dispute are the Constitutional Court and the incumbent Government formed by the Democratic Party, both of them controlled by the controversial and unpopular tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc, on the one hand, and President Igor Dodon and the new parliamentary majority, on the other hand.

This past weekend, the political conflict reached its peak. The Constitutional Court ruled to suspend Igor Dodon, replacing him with the Democratic PM Pavel Filip, and to dismantle the current Parliament. In response, the new parliamentary majority made up of the Socialists and the MPs of the Pro-European right-wing bloc ACUM, voted in a new government, headed by former presidential candidate Maia Sandu.

The 2 teams exchange accusations of usurping power. Sandu says the Democratic Party blocks the functioning of public institutions, and after the chief of police refused to recognise the authority of the new Interior Minister she urged civil servants to peacefully hand over power. Meanwhile, Plahotniuc took his supporters to the streets and asked them to be prepared to defend public institutions.

On behalf of neighbouring Romania, President Klaus Iohannis has called on all political forces in Chisinau to respect democracy and the rule of law. Stability is vital if Moldova is to follow through its European accession efforts, translating in a large-scale reform process, including in terms of the rule of law and good governance, reads a news release issued by the Romanian Presidency. The Government of Romania has also announced that it watches closely the political developments in Moldova, and urges all political players in that country to comply with the rules of democracy.

Brussels, in turn, calls for calm. The European Union stands ready to work with a democratically legitimate government, on the basis of a mutual commitment to reforms and to the core principles enshrined in the Association Agreement, reads a joint statement issued by the EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini and the Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy, Johannes Hahn. Moscow says it is vital for the forces in charge with Moldovas foreign policy to comply with the actual will of the people.

All these come after 3-and-a-half months of failed attempts at forming a parliamentary majority. In the February 24 legislative elections, the Democratic Party and ACUM bloc each got around one-third of the seats in Parliament. This, analysts noted, reflects the dramatic fragmentation of the Moldovan society between the pro-Russians and pro-Europeans, between the supporters of the fight against corruption and those who favour an oligarchic regime.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

10 June 2019
11 November, 2016

CAMPAIGN — Romania kicks off today its parliamentary election campaign, scheduled for December 11. Almost 6,500 people have registered as candidates for the 466 seats in the Senate and the lower chamber, on behalf of political parties or as independents. This election, the list system has been reinstated; the last time it was used was in the 2004 elections, with new norms of representation introduced for senators and deputies.

CHISINAU — Pro-Russian Socialist candidate Igor Dodon and pro-European reformer Maia Sandu face off on Sunday in the second round of elections in the Republic of Moldova. About three million citizens are called to the polls to vote directly for the president for the first time in 16 years, time in which the head of state was appointed by Parliament. Analysts say that this election has geopolitical implications. Dodon wants to join the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Union, while Sandu pleads for reforming the state and joining the EU.

TRUMP — Protests against Donald Trumps victory in the US presidential elections continued yesterday for a second day in several cities across the country, according to the Associated Press. Protesters fear that the future president will put a dent in civil rights and freedoms, given his campaign rhetoric regarding immigrants, Muslims and other groups. Trump tweeted in reaction to protests, saying that the protesters were hired by the media. In the meantime, the president elect had his first meeting with President Barack Obama to arrange a smooth transition of power. President Obama described the discussion as being encouraging. In turn, Trump thanked the president for his advice, and said that he would continue working with him in the future.

FOOTBALL — Romanias national football team plays today in Bucharest against Poland, in a game counting towards the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In the first three games in Group E, Romanians scored a devastating victory against Armenia in Yerevan, 5-0. They tied at home 1-all against Montenegro, and tied away from home in Kazakhstan with no goals scored. Montenegro and Poland lead the group with 7 points, and Romania follows, with 5 points. We recall that the national team is trained for the first time in its history by a foreign coach, German Cristoph Daum.

VETERANS DAY — Romania celebrates today Veterans Day, in military units and at heroes tombs across the country. In Bucharest, ceremonies and laying of wreaths were held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at the Monument of Heroes Fallen in Theaters of Operations and on Romanias Territory. Romanians have been celebrating Veterans Day on November 11, alongside the other European countries, the United States, Canada and Australia. This date marks the 1918 armistice between the Allies and the Central Powers which put an end to WWI.

PIPELINE — The gas pipeline between Romania and Bulgaria was inaugurated today, according to the Ministry of Energy in Sofia. It runs over 25 km, the longest such installation in Europe so far. The Bulgarian portion runs over 15.4 km, the one in Romania is 7.5 km long, with 2.1 km running under the river Danube, separating the two countries. The pipeline provides a secure and permanent supply of natural gas for home and industry consumers in the two countries. Its inauguration meets the requirement of the European Energy Union requiring the creation of gas transportation systems between member states. The gas pipeline is part of a wider plan to link natural gas networks in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria by the end of 2019.

HANDBALL — Romanian womens handball champions, CSM Bucharest, play today in an away game against the Russian team Rostov Don in the preliminaries of the Champions League. After three consecutive defeats, CSM is last in its group, with only two points, same as their Russian opponents, who are in third place. The group is led by Hungarian team Gyor, who hold eight points, followed by the Danish team FC Midtjylland, who are in second place with four points. CSM must secure a win in Russia in order to qualify. The first three teams in groups qualify for the main groups.

11 November 2016
Präsidialwahlen Moldau: proeuropäische Kandidatin überraschend schwach

Wichtig wird also die zweite Runde am 13. November, wenn die Bürger zwischen Dodon und der prowestlichen Reformerin und Ex-Bildungsminister Maia Sandu wählen müssen.

Nach allen Umfragen war mit einem Sieg von Igor Dodon zu rechnen – allerdings war der Vorsprung von zehn Prozentpunkten auf Maia Sandu eher überaschend. Kein Wunder, dass sich Dodon siegessicher nach der Schließung der Lokale über das Ergebnis freute: Diese Wahlen haben klar gezeigt, dass der Führer der sozialistischen Opposition das meiste Vertrauen der Bürger der Moldau hat.

Doch auch seine wichtigste Gegnerin gab sich optimistisch – Ich denke, wir können heute stolz sein auf einen ersten Sieg, auf einen ersten Schritt zu einem Leben in Würde, das wir alle hier in der Republik Moldau verdienen, sagte Maia Sandu.

Beobachter des Politikbetriebs sind sich nun einig, dass jetzt zwei intensive Wahlkampfwochen folgen werden – es geht nicht nur um die Sicherung der eigenen Kernwählerschaften, sondern auch um die Erschließung neuer Wähler. Sandu habe diesbezüglich mehr Chancen als Dodon, dessen europaskeptische Wählerschaft bereits als ausgereizt gilt. Von den sieben Kandidaten war außer Dodon nur Dmitri Tschubaschenko Russlandfreundlich, die anderen sind ehwr als Anhänger eines proeuropäischen Kurses zu betrachten. Es ist daher zu erwarten, dass die ausgeschiedenen Kandidaten ihren Wählern weitgehend raten werden, für Maia Sandu zu stimmen.

Sie muss allerdings die jungen Wähler überzeugen, überhaupt am Urnengang teilzunehmen. Denn am Sonntag blieb mehr als einer von zwei Wählern fern, obwohl es zum ersten Mal war, dass die Moldauer ihren Präsidenten direkt wählen. Die Beteiligung von rund 49 Prozent war die niedrigste in der Wahlgeschichte der Moldau. Fast 30% der Wähler waren Menschen im Alter von über 55 Jahren, viele von ihnen Nostalgiker nach der Sowjetunion. Nicht einmal zehn Prozent waren junge, von europäischen Werten überzeugte Moldauer unter 25 Jahren.

Die Menschen seien enttäuscht von der Lage im Land, zitieren Korrespondenten von Radio Rumänien Politikexperten vor Ort. Der zweite Wahlgang hat auch geopolitische Relevanz: Würde Dodon, ein von Moskau gesteuerter, virulent Europa-und Rumänienfeindlicher Politiker zum Präsidenten gewählt, bedeutet dies ein vorläufiges Ende für die europäische Gesinnung des Landes. Der Sozialist, der sich gerne mit der Russlandfahne abknipsen lässt, verspricht seinen Wählern eine Integration der Moldau in die Union Russland-Weißrussland-Kasachstan. Sieben Jahre, in denen die proeuropäischen Kräfte seit 2009 sich um die Annäherung an Europa und eine Emanzipierung von Moskau bemühten, wären somit vergeudet.

31 October 2016