December 1, 2024
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 01.12.2024, 13:55
National Day – Romania’s National Day is celebrated today, December 1, throughout the country, with parades, military and religious ceremonies and shows. Thousands of people attended the parade in the center of Bucharest, which enjoyed the participation of over 2,500 Romanian soldiers from the army and other law enforcement agencies. Along with the Romanian soldiers, 240 foreign soldiers participated in the parade, as part of detachments from allied countries: Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and Turkey. President Klaus Iohannis hosted, on Saturday, the last reception dedicated to the National Day in his capacity as head of state. At the end of his 10-year mandate, Iohannis sent a message of unity and solidarity, in order to overcome crises and move forward with dignity. The Romanian Cultural Institute organized abroad events dedicated to the National Day. December 1, 1918 marks the establishment of the Romanian unitary nation state. At the end of the First World War, all the provinces inhabited mostly by Romanians that were, until then, under the authority of the Austro-Hungarian and Tsarist empires: Transylvania, Banat, Bucovina and Bessarabia became part of the Kingdom of Romania.
Message – Romania’s commitment to security and democracy in Europe is a model for all nations to follow, said the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in a message sent on December 1 and published on the website of the US diplomatic mission in Bucharest. He congratulated the Romanians and conveyed that the United States is proud to collaborate with Romania in the process of modernizing the army and in strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. “Romania’s support for Ukraine, including welcoming refugees and providing security assistance, has bolstered the cause of freedom in the face of Russia’s aggression. Your leadership in helping Ukrainian grain reach global markets has helped feed the world” Blinken recalled. He showed that his country is proud to collaborate with Romania, to address global challenges and secure the prosperity and wellbeing of our peoples.
Elections – In Romania, more than 18 million Romanian citizens with the right to vote are expected, today, to the polls, to vote for the future Parliament for the next four years. The representatives of 31 parties and alliances, as well as 19 organizations of national minorities, registered in today’s elections, are competing for the 331 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the 134 senatorial seats. By 1 p.m. local time, more than 4.2 million people had gone to the polls, that is, approximately 24% of the citizens with the right to vote. More than 300 thousand Romanians abroad voted until 1 p.m., in the 950 polling stations opened by the authorities for those outside the borders. In the diaspora, Romanians can vote during two days, Saturday and Sunday. We remind you that on June 9, local and European Parliament elections took place in Romania simultaneously.
CCR – The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) will decide, on Monday, December 2, whether to validate or cancel the first round of the presidential election, held on November 24. The Central Electoral Bureau could complete, today, the recount of the votes, requested by the CCR following the notification of one of the candidates regarding possible fraud. The sending of ballots from abroad, which started on Friday, will continue until December 3, the Foreign Ministry announced. According to the results of the first round, the pro-Russian extremist Calin Georgescu, an independent, and the center-right pro-European candidate Elena Lasconi ranked on the first two places. The CCR’s decision to recount the votes was criticized by the majority of political forces, on the grounds that it would decrease the confidence of the population in the correctness of the electoral process and in the state institutions. The second round of presidential election is scheduled for December 8.
Handball – The Romanian women’s national handball team will meet the team of Montenegro today in Debrecen, Hungary, in the second match of group B of the European Championship to be hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. In the first match, the Romanian players defeated the Czech Republic, and the Montenegrin team defeated Serbia. The teams ranked on the first two places will qualify for the main groups. This is the first continental final tournament with 24 teams at the start.
Tbilisi – The new High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, on Sunday labeled as “unacceptable” the forceful dispersal by the Georgian police of the pro-EU demonstrations, which took place for the third night in a row, AFP informs. The American diplomacy also denounced the excessive use of force by the police against pro-European demonstrations. The Caucasus country has been prey to tensions since the ruling Georgian Dream party proclaimed its victory in the elections at the end of October, which the opposition and President Salome Zurabishvili consider rigged, press agencies write. The demonstrations were caused by the decision of the government, accused of pro-Russian authoritarian drift, to postpone until 2028 the discussions regarding the integration of this country from the Caucasus into the EU. These demonstrations were dispersed with water cannons and tear gas by the police, who made over 150 arrests. (LS)
