April 12, 2026
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 12.04.2026, 13:31
Easter. Orthodox Christians, who are the majority in Romania, as well as Greek-Catholics, are today celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the greatest holiday of Christianity. Believers attended the midnight Resurrection Service, gathering in front of churches, and lit candles, in a symbolic gesture expressing the confession of faith in the Resurrection of the Lord. The Holy Light for Orthodox Easter was flown from Jerusalem on Saturday evening and distributed to each parish. The Holy Light is considered a miracle of Orthodoxy, which takes place every year, at Easter, in Jerusalem, during the service on Holy Saturday. The Resurrection of Christ or Holy Easter is the Feast of all feasts that illuminates and guides the entire life of the Church, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel told the faithful attending the Resurrection Service in the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest. The Patriarch emphasised that the Resurrection of Christ “is not a return to transient biological life, but the abolition of death and the inauguration of eternal heavenly life”.
Easter message. In his Easter message, president Nicuşor Dan urged Romanians to show “solidarity not only in the spirit of traditions, but also in deeds, based on the conviction that good has the power to change communities and heal society”, and added: “Christ is Risen! This certainty reminds us every year of the triumph of hope and the power of rebirth and it is a time when we return to the values that define us – the confidence that we can do more, love and kindness towards our peers”. The president also said this year’s Easter holiday comes at a time marked by uncertainties and severe crises, with many concerned about tomorrow. “May the Light of Resurrection bring us the peace of mind we need to move forward, no matter how difficult the path may sometimes seem”, president Nicuşor Dan posted on Facebook.
Public order. Over 24,000 employees of the Romanian interior ministry have been mobilised every day for the duration of the Easter holiday. They are present on the main roads and highways, in tourist resorts, in places attracting large crowds and in other areas of operational interest. Public order patrols, fire fighters and emergency crews pay special attention to places of worship where religious events take place. Also, 3,500 border police are on the job every day daily during the Easter holidays, the General Inspectorate of Border Police has said. At Romania’s external borders with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Serbia emphasis is placed on streamlining border check by adapting the number of police officers at checkpoints, as well as by making maximum use of the existing infrastructure, including for freight traffic, in order to avoid queues. Travel to and from Hungary and Bulgaria takes place without stops at the former border check points.
Hungary elections. Hungary is holding parliamentary elections today, closely watched both in Europe and elsewhere in the world. The main rivals are the eurosceptic right-wing Fidesz party of long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the pro-European centre-right Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar. These elections could end Viktor Orbán’s 16-year term in office, as predicted by opinion polls, which point to a win for the opposition leader, Péter Magyar. The 7.5 million voters living in Hungary and the over 500,000 registered abroad, including from among the ethnic Hungarian community in Romania, have a choice between five parties in a mixed electoral system that strongly favours the ruling Fidesz party. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Budapest, over 1,000 international observers are monitoring the elections, after a tense electoral campaign in which the government and the opposition accused each other of attempts to manipulate the outcome of the vote.
Middle East. Iran said today that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not change, referring to restrictions imposed since the start of the war and the security protocol proposed by Tehran for control of the waterway, unless the United States agrees to a “reasonable” deal. Peace talks between the United States and Iran, which began on Saturday in Islamabad, ended on Sunday without reaching an agreement. At the same time, the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, indicated that they would take severe measures against any military vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz. This statement comes after the US Central Command announced that two US Navy warships transited this strategic waterway in mine clearing operation.
Tennis. The Romanian-Chinese pair Sorana Cîrstea and Shuai Zhang are today facing the all-Czech pair Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch in the doubles final of the WTA 500 tennis tournament in Linz, Austria, worth more than 1 million euros in prize money. The last time Sorana Cîrstea was in a doubles final was in Madrid in 2025, a tournament she won together with Anna Kalinskaya. Before Linz, Cîrstea played doubles in seven competitions, the most notable result being the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2025. She is to retire at the end of this season. (CM)
