Radio România Internațional

Tag: voting

  • Romania has a new Government

    Romania has a new Government

    The new Government in Bucharest was voted in by the Parliament.

     

    The new Government of Romania, led by the Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu, took the oath before President Klaus Iohannis on Monday evening. It was an intense political day, a first in the last 35 years when the designation of the Prime Minister by the head of state, the hearing of the ministers, the investiture vote, the oath taking and the first meeting of the Government took place. Earlier, on the same day, the leaders of the pro-European parties PSD, PNL, UDMR and of the deputies belonging to national minorities had signed a political agreement to form a majority and a government.

     

    The new Government has a slimmer structure than the previous one. It is composed of 16 ministries, of which eight are led by PSD, six by PNL and two by UDMR. The government also has three deputy prime minister positions, one of which belongs to the PSD – deputy prime minister without portfolio, and the other two with portfolio – PNL and UDMR. The Ciolacu 2 Government, as it is called by the media, received Parliament’s vote of confidence with 240 votes in favor, by 7 more than the minimum number needed.

     

    Cătălin Predoiu at the helm of the Interior Ministry, Angel Tîlvăr at the Defense Ministry, Sorin Grindeanu at the Transport Ministry, Alexandru Rafila at the Health Ministry or Sebastian Burduja at the Energy Ministry are the ones that kept their positions. New names of ministers have appeared, such as those of Daniel David at the Education Ministry or Emil Hurezeanu at the Foreign Ministry, who are not party members, but are supported by the Liberals. The new Ministry of Economy and Digitization is headed by the Social Democrat Bogdan Ivan, while the Social Democrat MP Radu Marinescu has joined the cabinet at the Ministry of Justice.

     

    Two other portfolios, held by the UDMR, are the Development Minister portfolio, held by Cseke Attila, and that of Finance Minister, held by Tánczos Barna. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that the rapid organization of presidential elections and measures to boost the business environment are the main short-term objectives of the new cabinet. He also said that Romania has a functional government, which sends a signal of stability to the Romanian private sector and foreign investors. According to the PM, there are already positive signs, following the vote in Parliament, such as the fact that the interest rates at which the country takes out loans on the foreign markets have started to decrease. Ciolacu also warns that 2025 will not be an easy year and that public money need to be spent decently: “Is normal that this economic crisis in developed countries would also be felt in Romania in 2025. We will have a difficult economic year. Romania cannot provide public services like the West does, with budget revenues to which not everyone contributes”.

     

    In turn, the Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, said that, in his second term, the priority is the fight against drug trafficking. He also said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue to maintain a low migration rate, but also an elevated safety rate, which in Romania is high compared to other European states: “The challenges, in terms of ​​drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal migration, cyber security, hate speech and emergency situations are unprecedented in terms of number, are complex and sometimes simultaneous. This new reality also dictates our priorities in the coming years”.

     

    On the other hand, the Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, said that the Mihail Kogălniceanu Base (southeast) will be modernized upon an investment of 2.5 billion euros, which will turn this location into the most important NATO military base in Europe. Angel Tîlvăr: “I presented a series of measures taken by the Ministry of Defense and I believe that the figures that I also presented prove that the decisions we have taken are good and we will continue to apply them. At the same time, we will try to increase the number of activities and actions to lead to the transformation or preservation of the military sector as an attractive sector for those who want a career in this respect”.

     

    For the first time in Romania, the Ministry of Public Finance will be headed by a representative of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Minorities in Romania (UDMR) –  Tánczos Barna. He gave assurances that taxes will not increase in 2025 and also that the same taxation system will be maintained.

     

  • November 23, 2024

    November 23, 2024

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    ELECTIONS – The election campaign for the first round of the presidential elections held on Sunday in Romania ended on Saturday morning. The presidential elections are scheduled for November 24, the first round, and December 8 the second round. Over 18 million voters are expected to cast their ballot on Sunday, in the nearly 19,000 polling stations opened in the country. Abroad, Romanians can vote for three days in the 950 polling stations opened by the authorities (on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). By Saturday at noon, about 60 thousand Romanians had voted in the Diaspora, of whom over 4,000 opted for postal voting. Most Romanians abroad voted in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Moldova, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria. There are 13 candidates in the presidential race, 9 representing political parties and 4 independents. Most ideological currents have representatives in the competition, from social democrats to liberals and from pro-Europeans to populists and ultranationalists. On December 1, when the National Day is celebrated, legislative elections will be held. We recall that on June 9, local and European parliamentary elections were also held in Romania.

     

    REFERENDUM – On Sunday, the Bucharest residents entitled to vote are expected at the polls in a referendum initiated by the General Mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan. Voters must answer two questions proposed by him, which concern the way that funds are divided between the General City Hall and the city halls of the 6 Bucharest districts, and also have their say on the issuing of construction permits in the capital Bucharest. At the same time, at the initiative of the Social Democratic Party, a third question was added, through an amendment, which refers to combating drug use in schools. In order to validate this consultation, a 30% voter turnout rate is required.

     

    SCHENGEN – The interior ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Hungary, alongside the European Commissioner, Ylva Johansson, agreed on Friday in Budapest that Romania and Bulgaria will join Schengen with the land borders as of January 1, 2025. The final decision will be taken at the meeting of EU interior ministers on 12 December in Brussels. Austria has been opposing Schengen enlargement since 2022. Eventually, Vienna later accepted partial Schengen membership for Sofia and Bucharest in March, with air and sea borders, and set a roadmap for a possible extension to land borders. The agreement made public on Friday provides for border checks for an initial period of six months to minimize the potential change in migration routes that could occur.

     

    NATO – NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with the US President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Friday, the North Atlantic Alliance spokeswoman said Saturday, according to Reuters and France press. The two discussed global security issues facing the alliance. Rutte’s meeting with Trump comes ahead of a NATO-Ukraine Council scheduled for next week, after Russia launched a hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile on military infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday. Moscow described the action as a response to the first Ukrainian attacks with US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles on military targets on Russian territory.

     

    RUGBY – The Romanian national rugby squad will face Uruguay in a test match this evening in Bucharest. The Romanian team has met Uruguay 13 times so far. Romania has won ten matches, one of which ended in a draw, while two were won by the South Americans. Romania defeated Tonga (25-15) and Canada (35-27) in test matches this month.

     

     

  • November 22, 2024

    November 22, 2024

     

    WEATHER Nearly 3-quarters of Romania’s territory is under various severe weather alerts, valid at least until tonight. A code red warning for snowstorms at altitudes of over 1,700 m is in place in several counties in the centre and south of the country. Parts of Romania’s mid-west are subject to code orange alerts for strong wind, ranging from 80 to 120 km/h, and heavy snowfalls are expected in the mountains. Mixed precipitation and wind are also forecast for the west, north-west and centre of the country, according to a code yellow alert.

     

    ELECTION Voting has begun abroad, in the first round of Romania’s presidential election. Voting is already underway in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Those who have already cast their ballots today join the over 4,200 who voted by mail. Voting abroad takes place over three days, from November 22 to 24. In the country, Romanians will be able to vote for their next president on Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with extensions granted only if there are still voters in polling stations or queuing outside. Almost 19,000 polling stations are set up in the country and 950 abroad for this election. The most polling stations abroad are in Italy – 158, Spain – 147 and the United Kingdom – 107. 13 candidates take part in the race for the president post. Also on Sunday, a local referendum is held in Bucharest, with three questions related to administrative issues, including the distribution of tax revenues and the issuance of construction permits, as well as the fight against drug use. A 30% turnout is needed for the referendum to be valid.

     

    SCHENGEN The interior ministers of Romania and Bulgaria, Cătălin Predoiu and Atanas Ilkov respectively, are meeting today in Budapest with their Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, to discuss the 2 countries’ full Schengen accession, vetoed by Austria so far. The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu, as well as his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, will also attend the meeting, held under the auspices of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU. During the talks, the officials will consider an agreement on the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen. A decision on lifting external border controls could be taken on December 12 in Brussels, in the Justice and Home Affairs Council, but this needs the support of all EU member states. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Schengen at the end of March, by suspending controls at air and sea borders. Land border controls remained in place, however, because of Austria’s veto, which Vienna says is related to concerns about illegal migration.

     

    DEFENCE Signing the agreement with the US for the procurement of F-35 aircraft is another decisive step forward for Romania towards a modern and efficient national defence, well connected to our international partners, PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday. He attended the signing of the Protocol launching the Romanian Air Force’s transition to 5th generation F-35 aircraft. The document was signed by the defence minister Angel Tîlvăr and the US Ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec.

     

    UKRAINE Russia’s president Vladimir Putin said Russia had hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a new type of medium-range missile designed to carry nuclear warheads, in response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles. Addressing the nation, Putin said the war in Ukraine had acquired elements of a global conflict after the United States, France and Britain agreed with the use of their missiles against Russia, and he warned that his country had the right to use its weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russian territory. In case of escalation, Putin added, Russia would respond decisively and symmetrically. The United States, which according to Reuters was informed shortly before the Russian missile launch, said Moscow was the one escalating the conflict in Ukraine. Washington, however, said it had no reason to change its nuclear doctrine based solely on Putin’s irresponsible rhetoric.

     

    NETANYAHU Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he would continue to defend the country in any way he could, after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu described the court’s decision as an anti-Semitic act, while Israel’s president and the parliament speaker called it an attack on justice and truth. The US President Joe Biden called the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, “outrageous”, and promised the US would stand by Israel in the face of a threat to its security. According to Biden, the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction in this case. As for President-elect Donald Trump, he did not react to the decision to issue the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and Gallant, but his future national security adviser, Mike Waltz, promised a “strong response” to the ICC’s anti-Semitic leaning. (AMP)

  • Preparations for the elections abroad

    Preparations for the elections abroad

     

    After the local and European parliamentary elections, held simultaneously on June 9, Romanians are preparing for an election marathon. They will vote three Sundays in a row, on November 24 and December 8 for the presidential elections and on December 1, on Romania’s National Day, for the legislative elections. Leaders of the parliamentary parties, representatives of marginal or independent factions, make up the 14 candidates for the position of head of state. One of them will replace the incumbent president, Klaus Iohannis, whose second and last presidential mandate to which the Constitution entitled him to, expires next month.

     

    As regards Parliament, there are 330 deputy and 136 senator positions at stake, for which thousands of people are competing. About 200 envelopes with postal votes for the parliamentary and presidential elections have already been received and are “on hold” until the moment when the votes cast at the ballot boxes will be counted, the president of the Permanent Election Authority (AEP), Toni Grebla, explained. He added that 6,650 citizens received envelopes to vote by mail and they must send their option no later than two days before the start of physical voting, in order to be received on time. If they report having voted incorrectly by mail, they can cast their vote at the nearest polling station in their country of residence.

     

    Toni Grebla, alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, held a press conference on the topic of elections abroad. Greblă recalled that Romania has a record number of polling stations set up for the Romanian Diaspora, 950. Minister Odobescu warned that there are 11 polling stations with different addresses in the three rounds of elections, in Finland, France, Spain and Britain. She also mentioned that the address of some polling stations in Spain has changed, due to the recent catastrophic floods there.

     

    Odobescu has called on the Romanian citizens abroad to check the list of polling stations and to carry with them the documents they need in order to be allowed to vote – an identity card or passport, valid on the day of voting. All polling stations abroad will be permanently video monitored, the minister also said. The distribution of the ballot papers for the first round of the presidential and parliamentary elections, as well as of the other materials, such as control stamps, stamps with the mention ‘VOTE’ and the minutes recording the voting results, ends this week. Voting abroad in the first round of the presidential elections will unfold over three days: Friday, November 22, between 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time, Saturday, November 23, and Sunday, November 24, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time.

  • Who runs for Romania’s presidential seat?

    Who runs for Romania’s presidential seat?

    The nominees of the Social-Democratic Party and of the National Liberal Party for the position of Romania’s president, Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciuca respectively, might run into the second round of voting due in December this year, says a survey conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology, CURS, over August 6 and 22.

    Ranking first among the electorate’s preferences is the PSD nominee with 32% followed by PNL with 19%. They are followed by the incumbent NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana, who runs as an independent with 15% and George Simion, the nationalist leader of the AUR political group, who would muster 14% of the votes.

    The two ladies who have made public their intention to run for the presidential seat, Elena Lasconi from the United Right Alliance could get 11% while the controversial Diana Şoşoacă from the SOS Romania party only 5% of the voting intentions.

    We recall that the first round of the presidential election in Romania is to take place on November 24 and the second on December 8. They will take place in the same period as those for the country’s Parliament, due to take place on December 1, Romania’s national day.

    The election campaign for the Parliament seats will be unfolding over November 1 and 30. In Romania voters will be able to cast their ballots on December the 1 between 7 and 21 hours whereas in the Diaspora voting will kick off on 30 November at 7 hours local time and end on 1 December, at 21 hours.

    Until then, according to the same CURS survey, the first two parties preferred by the voters would muster more votes than their nominees; PSD would get 34%, while PNL 24%. AUR would take 14% and the United Right Alliance 12%. SOS Romania will have 5% and so will UDMR.

    If the situation doesn’t change, the Romanians could be governed by the same two parties, which are making up the incumbent ruling coalition, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals, which are presently enjoying a comfortable majority in the Bucharest Parliament.

    So, Romania’s political stage would be dominated by the same figures who are presently ruling the country. And if the incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu won the presidential election, he would become the first Social-Democratic president in the past 20 years.

    And if Ciolacu won the race, he would take over the presidential seat from another liberal, Klaus Iohannis. So, the stake is high for both parties!

    In the end we should mention that it’s for the first time in Romania’s history when the country has seen four types of elections in a year; those for the local administration and the European Parliament were already held in June.

    (bill)

  • October 22, 2020

    October 22, 2020

    COVID-19 Romania reported on Thursday new record-high figures in terms of COVID-19 infections: 4,902 cases out of over 34,000 tests conducted, and 98 deaths. More than 10,354 people are hospitalised, 778 of them in intensive care. Since the start of the epidemic in Romania, the total number of cases has reached 196,004and the death toll stands at 6,163. The Government will amend the Quarantine Act today, in an emergency order, in view of preventing hospital overcrowding. Patients with mild forms of the disease and those without symptoms are to be treated at home, unless they suffer from previous conditions, the health minister Nelu Tătaru explained. The bill has been criticised by family physicians, who say examining patients at home is out of the question because physicians would be at risk.



    ELECTIONS Today is the deadline for entering candidacies for the parliamentary elections in Romania, due on December 6. The highest-ranking parties in polls have already submitted their lists of Bucharest candidates to the Municipal Election Bureau. Also today is the last day when Romanian citizens living abroad can register for postal voting. The head of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Constantin-Florin Mituleţu-Buică, says that in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, postal voting is a safe and comfortable option, which does not require traveling, costs and risks. President Klaus Iohannis said the parliamentary election is crucial, in that it represents the only democratic option that would enable a representative parliament to manage the current healthcare crisis.



    GOVERNMENT The Government is analysing in todays Cabinet meeting a draft order allowing parents to take days off from work if they need to stay at home with their children when schools are closed. The bill also stipulates support measures for employers and employees in the context of the ongoing pandemic. PM Ludovic Orban announced that also today the Bucharest Prefect Gheorghe Cojanu would be replaced. Cojanu has been criticised, including by president Klaus Iohannis, for his response when the COVID-19 infection rate in Bucharest moved over the 3 per thousand threshold. His replacement may be Traian Berbeceanu, a former police with the Organised Crime Division and currently the chief of staff of the interior minister Marcel Vela.



    MILITARY Two Romanian troops were wounded on Wednesday night in Afghanistan, during a patrol mission. According to the Defence Ministry, they are stable, under medical supervision at the hospital within the Kandahar Air Base. The 2 are members of 191st Golden Lions Force Protection Battalion, and were deployed to Afghanistan in August, for a 6-month mission. Romanian troops have been present in Afghanistan since 2003, one year before Romania was admitted into NATO. Nearly 30 Romanian servicemen have been killed in that country.



    AFGHANISTAN The situation in Afghanistan is discussed today by the NATO defence ministers as well, alongside the threat posed by Chinas and Russias space programmes, which may jeopardise NATO satellite communications. The Alliances secretary general Jens Stoltenberg explained that NATOs baseline requirements for national resilience have already been updated, including 5G and telecommunications, cyber threats, the security of supply chains, and the consequences of foreign ownership and control. Stoltenberg also voiced concern with Turkeys decision to purchase Russian S-400 defence systems, which cannot be integrated in the NATO system.



    FOOTBALL Romanias football champions CFR Cluj are playing tonight away from home against the Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia, in their first match in the Europa League Group A. Also today, in the same group, the Swiss side Young Boys Berna takes on AS Rome. Kicked out of the Champions League qualifiers into the Europa League, CFR Cluj is the last Romanian club to be playing in this years edition of the European football cups. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • October 17, 2020

    October 17, 2020

    VOTING The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu called on all Romanians living abroad to vote by mail, and reminded them that October 22 is the deadline for registration for this type of voting for the December 6 parliamentary election. Bogdan Aurescu warned that postal voting is the best way to protect Romanians health in the current pandemic. The foreign minister also says the full list of the documents required for voting is available on the ministrys home page in the section devoted to this years general election. The Foreign Ministry warned several times that some countries have restrictions in place, which will affect the number of polling stations that the Romanian authorities will be allowed to open abroad.



    COVID-19 In Romania, a new record-high number of coronavirus infections in 24 hours has been reported—4026, according to the Strategic Communication Group. The overall number of cases is 172,516. Also, 75 more people died, taking the death toll to 5,749. A new negative record was also reported in terms of ICU patients—726. The authorities are seeking solutions to make sure as many hospitals as possible are involved in the fight against the pandemic. The head of the Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat, said that according to experts this second wave of the pandemic may last throughout the winter. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, over 1,000 schools in the country operate exclusively online. The Education Ministry says over 11,300 schools still work in the face-to-face teaching system, while 5,235 schools use both in-person and online classes.



    PANDEMIC The World Health Organisation warns that several European cities are facing a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients that require intensive care, and that ICUs may reach their full capacity in the coming weeks. NATO is prepared to provide assistance to Europe. According to the deputy secretary general of the Alliance, Mircea Geoană (Romania), NATO already has a special fund and logistical support plans in place for member and partner states. He explained that NATOs main concern is for the current healthcare crisis not to turn into a security crisis. France Press reports new restrictions introduced across Europe. In London, a ban on households mixing indoors came into force on Saturday, after on Friday 15,000 new infections were confirmed in the UK. In 10 major cities in France, including Paris and its suburbs, a curfew is in place as of Saturday between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The measure will be in place for at least 4 weeks, amid a rise in the number of daily new cases to over 25,000. New restrictions are also introduced in Warsaw and other Polish cities included in a “red-zone: high-schools and colleges are switching to the online mode, restaurants will only be open until 9 PM, weddings are banned and the number of people entering shops, churches and public transport will be restricted.



    DATATHON Romania won the first prize in the 4th challenge, “A Europe fit for the digital age, in the EU Datathons online final. The Romanian teams submission, which also won a check for 12,000 euro, is called Digital Dryads, and is designed to protect forests from illegal logging using spectral analysis, machine learning and state-of-the-art satellite imagery produced under the EU Copernicus programme. The EU Datathon is an annual competition inviting original ideas on how to exploit EU Open Data.



    DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Ministry welcomes the approval by the US State Department of Romanias application for purchase of the Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence Systems. The clearing has been forwarded to the US Congress. The Naval Strike Missile is a sea-skimming, over-the-horizon anti-ship missile, and Romania wants to buy two of the systems under one of the 5 programmes in the Romanian Armys upgrade plan. The proposed sale will improve Romanias capability to meet current and future threats by improving Romanias maritime defence capabilities in the Black Sea.



    LITERATURE A Romanian-British literature festival is held online and in London as of today until November 13. Entitled Romania Rocks, the event brings together Romanian and British authors and translators, and is designed to promote Romanian literature around the world. All events may be accessed free of charge on the communication channels of the Romanian Cultural Institute and the European Literature Network. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • Draft laws passed by the Chamber of Deputies

    Draft laws passed by the Chamber of Deputies


    The
    two chambers of the Romanian Parliament convened in a plenary session
    on Thursday, a session which was attended by a lower number of Mps
    though. There were also several phone interventions and the MPs
    eventually
    resorted
    to electronic voting. The Chamber of Deputies, dominated by the
    opposition Social-Democrats (PSD) passed as a decision-making forum
    several draft laws to tackle the present crisis.

    Among
    this there was a PSD initiative to grant survivor’s benefits to the
    families of doctors or other categories of medical personnel who lost
    their lives while fighting the pandemic. So the surviving spouse and
    children will be benefiting from survivor’s benefits amounting to
    75% of the salary of the deceased member and in the absence of any
    heir, parents of the deceased will get half of the survivor’s
    benefit. The draft law was
    passed
    with landslide majority.




    The
    chamber passed amendments also proposed by the PSD to a government
    ordinance under which bank installments can be postponed upon request
    until December 31st.
    The
    amendments also provide for the elimination of the interest upon
    interest for all types of credit. Even those with past-due accounts
    can benefit from these provisions as well as the companies that
    incurred 15% income loss due to the crisis. The ruling National
    Liberal Party (PNL) has been accusing the Social-Democrats of
    populism adding they will challenge these amendments at the
    Constitutional Court.




    The
    Liberals say that under the new circumstances all debtors will be
    applying for this
    facility
    and their credits will be considered risky. Now when bank resources
    are more precious than ever, banks will have to block significant
    amounts of money, which should have been pumped into the economy, a
    Liberal MP has said. The PSD are defending their amendments arguing
    that these are meant to help the population and the companies
    affected by the crisis and that interest upon interest is applied
    nowhere in the world.





    The
    chamber of Deputies has passed another law which provides for the
    extension with another 6 months of the local authorities mandate from
    the cessation of the state of emergency and also enables Parliament
    to establish by means of an organic law the local election date.





    Until
    now that was established by the government, and the PNL have already
    announced their intention to challenge the law at the Constitutional
    Court. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on Thursday said that local
    election could be staged in September if the first peak of the
    pandemic had passed by the end of July.




    The
    sooner the better says the Prime Minister adding that the
    epidemiological situation
    must
    be taken into account. As for the Parliamentary election due in
    December, Orban said that turnout can be increased by the
    introduction of the postal voting in Romania as it is now in the
    diaspora or the electronic voting. The Senate has also passed several
    draft laws including that for granting more days off to those taking
    care of children including during holidays, if schools and other
    education units are closed down as a result of the state of
    emergency.

    (translated
    by bill)




  • Orban Cabinet out: what comes next?

    Orban Cabinet out: what comes next?

    Criticised by his political opponents for trying to change the election laws without proper parliamentary debate just months ahead of the local elections, the Liberal PM Ludovic Orban Wednesday failed the test of a no-confidence motion tabled against his team. The 4th government since the 2016 parliamentary election and the first Liberal government in the same period only lasted for 3 months in power.



    The Social Democrats, now in opposition following a no-confidence motion passed in October, joined forces with Pro Romania, the party headed by the former prime minister Victor Ponta, and, also backed by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, came up with more than enough votes to bring the Orban Government down.



    The stakes are high: the voting system for the forthcoming local election. The current format, with only one round of voting, favours the big parties, including the Social Democrats. And although its approval rates are declining, the Social Democratic Party continues to have the largest number of seats in Parliament and the largest number of mayors in the country. So the change in the voting system pushed forth by the Liberal Party would first and foremost affect the Social Democrats.



    In turn, the National Liberal Party, whose number of supporters has almost doubled since 2016 to around 47% according to opinion polls, also has a substantial number of mayors, but says a 2-round election system would ensure more legitimacy to local officials.



    The fall of the Orban Cabinet also paves the way to early elections, a scenario that both the Liberal Party and president Klaus Iohannis favour at present. According to president Iohannis, turning to voters is, at present, the most reasonable solution for the country. But the procedure for holding early elections is rather complicated, according to the Constitution. For the president to be able to dismantle Parliament, 2 prime minister nominations must be rejected within the coming 60 days.



    This outcome is desirable for both the Liberals and the Social Democrats, for different reasons, says political analyst Cristian Pirvulescu. As he put it, “the Social Democratic Party found itself in a position to choose the lesser evil, between the 2-round voting in local elections and early parliamentary elections.



    Another political analyst, Radu Magdin, agrees that the current result is good for the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians as well. “The Liberals target a 35% score in the parliamentary election, which is quite likely in the current circumstances, whereas the Social Democrats and the Ethnic Hungarian party focus on keeping the single-round voting for mayors. “Beyond going through the motions of political competition, Radu Magdin also says, this result also indicates heavy backstage negotiations. And the only party that stands to lose, according to opinion polls, is the 3rd placed actor, the USR-PLUS alliance.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Preparations for voting abroad

    Preparations for voting abroad

    The presidential election is drawing close, and the Romanians living abroad only have a few days left to announce how they intend to vote. Extended on Thursday by the Government, under an emergency order, the new deadline is September 15. By filling in an online form on www.votstrainatate.ro, prospective voters can choose between postal voting and voting in person at a polling station set up abroad.



    Those who choose postal voting must submit a scanned copy of their identity document and of the residence permit issued by the host country. For polling station voting, applicants must fill in an online form specifying their name, personal identification code, the locality and country where they intend to vote, and attach a scan or photo of their ID.



    A polling station can be set up abroad if at least 100 people from the same locality or area request it. After they have registered on this platform, the respective Romanian citizens will be removed from the permanent voter lists in Romania and included in the permanent voter list abroad.



    The head of the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania, Constantin Mituleţu-Buicǎ, promised that the data collected from the Romanian citizens living abroad will not be used by the tax authorities, a concern that has allegedly prompted many Romanians to prefer voting in polling stations and that consequently makes the election process more difficult:



    Constantin Mituleţu-Buicǎ: “The data gathered during the previous election, the one for the European Parliament, indicate that nearly 400,000 Romanians voted abroad. We have not disclosed and will not disclose personal data to the authorities, except for the purpose of the election process or if required in administrative or criminal investigations, but never will we provide such data to the fiscal authorities for taxation purposes or for identifying where certain citizens live and have voted.



    The first round of the presidential election is due on November 10, and the runoff is scheduled on November 24. The Romanians who live abroad will be able to vote by post during a 3-day period. Romanian diplomatic missions may already request the Foreign Ministry the setup of polling stations abroad, a process due to conclude on October 19.



    Although there are millions of Romanian nationals who live outside the country, by Friday morning only 73,000 people had registered for postal voting and for voting at a polling station abroad, which makes commentators expect unnerving queues in this election as well.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • 11 September, 2019

    11 September, 2019


    9/11. Romanian senators on Wednesday held a moments silence to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001. The United States also commemorates the victims of these attacks 18 years ago. Almost 3,000 people, including Romanians, were killed in the attacks perpetrated by 19 members of the Al Qaeda network who hijacked four passenger planes to crash them into some of the United States most emblematic buildings. The number of victims who inhaled toxic substances at the time continued to grow in the years that followed. The 9/11 attacks were considered the bloodiest in history, and their impact is still strongly felt among Americans.



    Visit. The Romanian defence minister Gabriel Les today begins a two-day trip to North Macedonia, during which he will have talks with his counterpart Radmila Sekerinska-Jankovska. The visit by the Romanian official is the first since the signing of the protocol for North Macedonias accession to NATO in February, with Romania being among the first allied states to ratify the document. Talks will focus on issues such as the development of bilateral cooperation in the area of defence, international security, measures to combat terrorism and the commitments of the two states within regional initiatives, as well as the progress made by North Macedonia on its path to the join the European Union.



    Elections. Today is the last day when the Romanian citizens who wish to vote abroad in the presidential elections on the 10th and the 24th of November can register online at www.votstrainatate.ro. Some 28,400 requests were received until Tuesday for voting at the polling booth and some 29,800 requests for voting by post. At the beginning of the month, prime minister Viorica Dancila said she requested the electoral authority to extend the registration deadline to increase the number of those who can vote by post. On Tuesday, the president of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, said his party requested the government to extend the registration deadline for Romanian citizens living abroad who wish to vote in the presidential elections. The National Liberal Party also wants an extension to the deadline by which Romanian citizens in the diaspora can ask for the creation of new voting stations.



    Museum. The Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday passed a bill to create a national museum of Jews and the Holocaust in Romania. Funding will be provided by the state from the budget of the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust, as well as own funds, donations and sponsorship. The goal of the museum will be to present and promote the history of the culture and traditions of the Jewish community in Romania, the protection of the victims of the Holocaust and combating anti-Semitism. The Chamber of Deputies is the decision-making body in this case. The bill was also passed by the Senate on the 4th of September. 78 years ago, the regime of marshal Ion Antonescu, an ally of Nazi Germany, began the deportation of the Jews in eastern Romania to the occupied Soviet territories. More than 300,000 Romanian Jews were killed between 1941 and 1945.



    Protest. 200 trade unions in the defence industry have today staged a protest outside the government headquarters, accusing the government of failing to fulfil its promises. They demand the cancellation of fiscal obligations, the creation of a research centre for weapons and ammunition, changing the term “the defence industry” into “strategic industry of national interest” and better salaries for the employees in this sector. Trade unions also request legislation to exempt defence employees from paying income tax for a period of ten years.



    Football. Romanias Under-21 side lost 2-1 to Denmark away in their first match as part of a qualifying round for the Under-21 European Championship of 2021. In the same group, Finland drew against Northern Ireland 1-all, while Ukraine defeated Malta 4-nil. Romania will next face Ukraine on the 10th of October.


    (Translated by Cristina Mateescu)




  • New regulations for the elections abroad

    New regulations for the elections abroad

    The Romanian Senate has convened in
    an extraordinary session to pass amendments to the Election Code, unanimously
    considered an emergency issue following the row caused by the huge queues at
    polling stations abroad, where many Romanians had to wait for hours to be able
    to cast their ballot in the latest European Parliament elections.






    In fact, the elections in May this
    year were considered a reiteration of the organizational fiasco of the 2014
    presidential voting abroad, when a significant number of Romanians from the
    Diaspora, was even unable to vote, a situation, which sparked off protests in
    front of the polling stations.






    The Social Democrats (PSD), number
    one in the coalition government, have attracted a lot of criticism for their
    failure to stage civilized elections. Under the pressure exerted by the public
    opinion, the presidency and the opposition, a draft on amending the election
    code, designed to eliminate dysfunctions that might appear during the election
    process, has been debated upon and approved by the Senate.






    Amendments include an extended
    election period for the Romanians abroad as well as the introduction of postal
    voting at the presidential elections in autumn. Senator Calin Popescu
    Tariceanu, leader of ALDE, the second political force in the government
    coalition, has shared with us the main amendments regulating the election
    process abroad.






    Calin Popescu Tariceanu: We
    are going to have a prolonged early voting session on three days: Friday,
    Saturday and Sunday. Polling stations are going to remain open on Sunday until
    24 hours and we are also going to have the postal voting, which wasn’t
    available in the presidential election, but only in the Parliament elections.






    According to opposition Liberal
    senator Laura Scantei, the aforementioned amendments are going to prevent
    dysfunctions in the future elections involving the Romanians abroad.






    Laura Scantei: This draft on
    amending several election laws is focusing on concrete measures, aimed not only
    at ensuring people’s fundamental right to vote, but also at preventing
    administrative hindrances to exercising this right. It is very important that
    all Romanian citizens in the Diaspora have been given voting alternatives,
    starting with the three-days early voting and the postal voting.






    On the other hand, the Liberals
    have called on the executive to mount an information campaign for the Romanians
    abroad, briefing them on the latest amendments to the Election Code. The
    Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) refused to endorse the
    amendments as they consider unfair for the voting to continue after 21 hours on
    Sunday as the Romanians abroad have been given three days to vote. The
    legislative amendments endorsed by the Senate have been submitted to the
    decision-making Chamber of Deputies for the final decision.




    (translated by bill)



  • Parliamentary debates in Bucharest

    Parliamentary debates in Bucharest

    After the elections for the European Parliament and the justice referendum, the Romanian Parliament has a busy agenda this week. On Tuesday, the foreign minister Teodor Melescanu is invited by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union to answer questions before the Chamber of Deputies, whereas the Senate is discussing a simple motion tabled against him by the Opposition.



    The political debates will focus on the voting problems in polling stations abroad on May 26. The Liberals, Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party call for the resignation of the foreign minister over the poor management of the voting process.



    Also this week, Parliament leaders will convene to decide on the set up of an election code committee, as agreed in a meeting held by the ruling coalition. The president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, explained that committee members should draw up a bill enabling all citizens to exercise their voting rights in an efficient manner.



    Calin Popescu Tariceanu: “We will invite the Central Electoral Authority, which as far as I know has already mentioned a number of proposals, including an extended early vote, electronic voting or mail voting. We will also invite the Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry, so as to identify the most appropriate solution and to avoid such crowding and queuing in the future.



    During the May 26 vote for the European Parliament and the justice referendum, thousands of Romanians living abroad were unable to cast their votes because of the poor organization, in spite of the near doubling of polling stations set up abroad. A report issued by the Foreign Ministry at the request of PM Viorica Dancila denies any responsibility for the problems, and blames them on President Klaus Iohannis, who asked for a referendum on the same day as the European elections. Another accusation brought by the Opposition against the foreign minister is also the failure of Romanias candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.



    Meanwhile, the Opposition is also trying to get the required number of votes for a no-confidence motion to remove the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from power. The Liberal Senator Alina Gorghiu said the other opposition parties promised to back the motion:



    Alina Gorghiu: “I appreciate the openness of all those in the Parliament of Romania who are willing to cast their vote to dismiss the Cabinet through a no-confidence motion, and I assure those who cling on to power, and Mrs. Dancila too, that their unwillingness to step down turns them into a party that is irrelevant in the political arena.



    In turn, ProRomania, an opposition party headed by the former Social Democratic prime minister Victor Ponta, announced that, although they did not sign the no-confidence motion, they will vote to dismiss the Cabinet.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • One week to the parliamentary elections in Romania

    One week to the parliamentary elections in Romania

    This is the last week of campaign in the run up to the December 11 parliamentary elections. Under the law, the election campaign comes to an end on Saturday, December 10, at 7 p.m. By that date, the candidates running for a deputy or senator seat can present their political programs and electoral offers by means of posters, rallies and meetings with the citizens. As regards the electoral debates broadcast on radio and TV, they will end on Friday December 9 at 7 p.m. The preparations for the organization of the elections are now on the finishing line.



    Thursday, December 8, is the deadline for conveying to the Electoral Bureau the envelopes enclosing the documents for the postal vote, which is a total novelty in the history of elections in Romania. On Saturday, the presidents of the electoral constituencies will receive the ballots, stamps, permanent lists and the other necessary forms. Almost 6,500 people are running in the parliamentary elections for the 466 seats, 136 in the Senate and 312 in the Chamber of Deputies, plus 18 seats for the deputies of the national minorities, other than the Hungarian one, whose representation is ensured ex officio. 43 constituencies have been set up: 41 in Romania’s counties, in Bucharest and the Diaspora.



    The elections are organized according to new election legislation which reintroduces, after two rounds of uninominal voting, the party-list system. The previous uninominal voting system, with the so-called representation quotas, led to huge abnormalities, raising the number of elected MPs in the current Romanian Parliament at 600. Running as favorite in the elections is the leftist Social Democratic Party, followed by the rightist National Liberal Party, and the Save Romania Union, a recently set-up party which, according to observers, will have a heavy say in the future parliament. With real chances of crossing the 5% electoral threshold are the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), the rightist Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) set up by the incumbent president of the Senate, Călin Popescu Tăriceanu and the rightist People’s Movement Party (PMP), of the former president Traian Băsescu.



    The future MPs have the difficult mission to change the public image of the institution that has been so frequently associated with incompetence, immorality and corruption. In another development, the makeup of the future parliament will be the starting point for the negotiations related to the formation of a new government, in the context in which none of the parties is expected to obtain a majority on its own.


    (Translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • 12 October, 2016

    12 October, 2016

    DIASPORA – Today is the last day for submitting the list of candidacies for the diaspora in the elections scheduled for December 11. On October 23rd the lists are definitive, and the Foreign Ministry proposed to the Permanent Election Authority the proposals for polls abroad, numbering 417, 111 more than in the elections in 2012.



    JAKARTA – As part of his visit to Indonesia, Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu held talks with his counterpart, Retno Marsudi, on enhancing political, economic and trade exchanges. The two attended a ceremony for the signing of a memorandum between the national chambers of commerce of the two countries. Comanescu expressed Romania’s willingness to act as Indonesia’s maritime gate to Europe. Jakarta is the first stage of a four day tour of Asia. On Thursday and Friday the head of diplomacy will take part, in Bangkok, Thailand, the 21st ministerial meeting of the EU-ASEAN meeting.



    KIDNAPPING – The Bucharest Foreign Ministry has activated today an emergency response center after a Romanian engineer has been abducted in Nigeria. The ministry said that they follow closely the situation through the embassy in that country, keeping in touch with Nigerian authorities, as well as with the Romanian citizen’s family and employer. The Nigerian police and media claim the man was abducted as part of the wave of rebel attacks against oil and gas installations.



    NATO -Romanian head of the general staff Nicolae Ciuca takes part today in the Strategic South Direction NATO conference, held in Naples, Italy. The agenda contains security issues, emphasizing NATO’s southern flank, as well as issues covered by this summer’s summit in Warsaw.



    FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football team tied with a blank score board in Astana against the home team of Kazakhstan, in its third preliminary game of the 2018 World Cup scheduled for Russia. Also on Tuesday in group E, Poland defeated Armenia 2-1, while Montenegro defeated Denmark in an away game, 1-0. Montenegro and Poland lead the group with 7 points each, while Romania is third, with 5 points. Romania plays Poland on November 11th.



    PRISONS – Romanian prison guards and employees are protesting the national authority employing them, against what they claim are unfair salaries and work conditions. They are also protesting against staff shortages, which bring along unpaid overtime.



    TRIAL – The Romanian Anti-Corruption Directorate asked for presidential endorsement in pursuing in court the case against former Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea for manslaughter. Oprea, whose most recent public office was in Parliament, resigned his seat in the Senate on October 1st. According to legal provisions, the head of state has to approve warrants against government ministers. The former minister and MP has been indicted for the accidental death of police officer Bogdan Gigina, which occurred while he was part of the official convoy accompanying the then minister, which the latter was allegedly not entitled to at that moment.