June 7, 2024
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 07.06.2024, 13:55
Elections – In Romania, Friday is the last day of the first electoral campaign in 2024. Citizens with the right to vote are expected, on Sunday, to go to the polls to choose both their representatives in the future European Parliament and in the local authorities. According to the data of the Permanent Electoral Authority, over 200,000 candidates have tried, starting from May 10, to convince voters to vote them. The oldest candidate is 100 years old, and the youngest is just over 23 years old. 11,386 people are running for mayoral positions. All in all, 207,389 candidates have registered for all the positions of local, county and municipal councilors, mayors and presidents of county councils. For the European Parliament elections, 12 political parties and electoral alliances and four independent candidates have registered, i.e. a total of 494 candidates, of whom the Romanians with the right to vote must choose 33 that will represent Romania in the European Parliament. The electoral campaign will end on Saturday morning, at 7:00 a.m.
Relations – The Ambassador-at-large of the Russian Federation in Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, was received at the Romanian Foreign Ministry by the Secretary of State Ana Tinca, for the presentation of the copies of the accreditation letters. The representative of the Romanian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the Russian Federation is solely responsible for the current state of bilateral relations and reminded the Russian diplomat that Romania condemns the war of aggression against Ukraine, which represents a brutal violation of international law, including the UN Charter. Vladimir Lipaev is a career diplomat. He has most recently been ambassador to Estonia, from where he was expelled in 2023.
Gaza – 17 heads of state, including the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, have signed a joint statement asking Israel and Hamas to make any possible compromise for the ceasefire in Gaza. The call came after dozens of Palestinians died in an attack that the Israeli military said targeted 30 Hamas fighters that were hiding in a school, along with displaced people. The US State Department said that, although the Hamas fighters are known to be mixing with civilians, Washington is waiting for more information about the raid. Meanwhile, related to the ceasefire plan recently presented by the US President Joe Biden, the Hamas group claimed that it had not received any written commitment regarding any truce.
Salary – Almost 1,900,000 employees in Romania will receive increased salaries by 284 lei (57 Euros) net value, from July 1, after the Romanian Government approved the increase of the gross minimum wage from 3,300 lei (about 660 Euros) to 3,700 lei (approximately 740 Euros) and raised from 200 lei (approximately 40 Euros) to 300 lei (almost 60 Euros) the monthly amount exempted from the payment of the income tax. The executive believes that this approach will have positive effects on economic growth, the purchasing power of employees and will contribute to the reduction of undeclared work. However, the decision does not apply to employees in agriculture and the food industry, as legal provisions in force apply to these categories. The government representatives said that this increase is a step towards the adoption, from November, of the minimum wage at the European level.
Football–Romania’s national football team meets, this evening, in Bucharest, the team of Liechtenstein, in its last training match before the European Championship in Germany. On Tuesday, also in Bucharest, and also in a friendly match, the Romanian footballers drew 0-0 with the team from neighboring Bulgaria. In Group E of Euro 2024, Romania will meet Ukraine, on June 17, in Munich, then Belgium, on June 22, in Cologne, and Slovakia, on June 26, in Frankfurt. Officials of the Football Federation in Bucharest say that they are counting on a massive presence of Romanian supporters at matches, whether they come from the country, settled in Germany or in other countries of Western Europe. Romania last participated in a continental final tournament in 2016, and in a World Cup in 1998.
Tennis– The pair Elena Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk (Romania/Ukraine) qualified for the semifinals of the doubles event of the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros. The Romanian player and her colleague reached the semifinals after the withdrawal of their opponents from the quarterfinals, the Russians Mirra Andreeva and Vera Zvonareva. Today, in the semifinals, Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk meet the Italian team Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, seeded 11. (LS)
