December 21, 2016 UPDATE
Social Democrat Sevil Shhaideh proposed as PM/ Liviu Dragnea elected president of the Chamber of Deputies/ Romania buys F16 planes from the US
Newsroom, 21.12.2016, 12:15
POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS — The Social Democrat Sevil Shhaideh, a former minister of regional development and public administration, is the Social Democrats’ proposal for the position of PM. The announcement was made by the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, fresh from the talks with President Klaus Iohannis. Dragnea said he could not be proposed for the PM seat for the moment, because of a definitive suspended prison sentence which he labeled unfair, and of a law which he considers unconstitutional. Klaus Iohannis had announced during the election campaign that he would not accept as prime minister a person who received a court sentence. Liviu Dragnea received a two-year suspended prison sentence for electoral fraud at the 2012 referendum on the impeachment of the then president Traian Băsescu. Also a 2001 law forbids a person with a criminal sentence to be appointed minister. The Social Democrat leader said he would not make another proposal. The Social Democrats went to consultations with president Iohannis together with the representatives of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats with whom they signed a governing protocol and hold together 54 mandates. Also on Wednesday the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania that has 6% of the mandates signed an agreement of parliamentary cooperation with the coalition of Social Democrats and Liberal Democrats. The consultations will come to an end on Thursday when the Romanian President will announce the name of the prime minister.
BUCHAREST PARLIAMENT — The Social Democrat leader, Liviu Dragnea, was elected on Wednesday president of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies. He was the only candidate to this position as the other parliamentary parties did not have any proposals. In turn, the co-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Călin Popescu Tăriceanu, was re-elected speaker of the Senate. He was also the only candidate to this position, which he held between 2014- 2016. The first meeting of the new Parliament elected on December 11 took place on Tuesday.
1989 REVOLUTION — In Romania continues the commemoration of the heroes killed in the December 1989 Revolution. December 21st marked the end of Ceausescu’s dictatorship, when the protests in Timisoara spread to Bucharest and many other cities. Ceausescu convened a big gathering in the capital Bucharest, in trying to win people’s support, but what he got was huge protests against the regime. At the dictator’s order, the army, the police and the Securitate started firing at protesters, killing 50 people and injuring several hundreds. Military and religious ceremonies were held Wednesday in Bucharest, to honour their memory.
DEFENSE — The Romanian Defense Minister, Mihnea Motoc, announced Wednesday that talks were held with the US government for the purchase of F16 planes. Attending the presentation of the National Defense Ministry’s activity report for 2016, minister Motoc explained that Romania’s European allies could not provide it with another F16 squadron. 3 years ago Romania decided to buy from Portugal 12 F16 planes made in America for 628 million euros. In October the first 6 F16 planes landed in Romania, another 3 came in December and the last ones will arrive in the first part of 2017. They will be stationed at the air bases in Feteşti (south east) and Campia Turzii (centre) that were modernized for this type of aircraft. According to experts Romania needs 48 multi-role aircraft, that is 4 squadrons. (translation by L. Simion)
