December 22, 2016

Consultations continue in Bucharest for the formation of a new government/ Ceremonies mark the commemoration of the 1989 revolution heroes

Newsroom, 22.12.2016, 12:00

COMMEMORATION — The manifestations for the commemoration of the heroes of the 1989 anti-Communist uprising continue today in Bucharest. A solemn session is being held in Parliament and Radio Romania, one of the “hot spots” of the revolution, will host a military and religious ceremony. 27 years ago the uprising started in Timisoara, in the west, and later extended to the whole of Romania culminating on December 22 in Bucharest with the protesters storming the headquarters of the central committee of the Communist party. The dictatorial couple managed to flee, to be later apprehended and killed on Christmas day after a superficial trial. More than 1,000 people died and almost 3,400 were wounded in the fighting that occurred in those days in Romania, which is the only country in the eastern bloc where the change of regime was made by force and the dictators killed.

BUCHAREST CONSULTATIONS– In Bucharest President Klaus Iohannis continues consultations with the parties elected in Parliament after the December 11 elections with a view to forming a new government. On Wednesday, the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, which signed a governing protocol and thus hold together 54% of the mandates, proposed for the position of PM the Social Democrat Sevil Shhaideh, 52, a former minister of regional development. The president also had consultations with the representatives of the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, who announced that they would not support the government made up around the Social Democrats, and with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania which signed an agreement of parliamentary cooperation with the coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. Today President Iohannis will have talks with the leaders of the People’s Movement Party and with the representatives of the national minorities. Also today the president is expected to announce the name of the PM.

BUCHAREST PARLIAMENT– Romanian MPs will approve today the makeup and membership of Parliament’s permanent committees. The Social Democrats will have the leadership of most committees both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. On Wednesday, the co-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats Călin Popescu Tăriceanu and the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, were elected speakers of the Senate and of the Chamber of Deputies, respectively. The two were the only candidates for the respective positions.

SYRIA — The UN General Assembly on Wednesday approved the setting up of a body meant to gather information on and incriminate the most serious abuses against human rights and the war crimes perpetrated during the civil war in Syria. The initiative was approved by an overwhelming majority despite the many objections made by Syria and its traditional ally, Russia, the BBC reports. On the ground the operation of rescuing civilians was resumed in the east of Aleppo, controlled by the anti-government rebels. According to analysts the evacuation of thousand of people from the city’s areas of insurgency will give president Bashar al-Assad total control over Aleppo, considered the big stake of the Syrian civil war that has lasted for almost 6 years.

BERLIN — German authorities have launched raids for the arrest of the alleged attacker in Berlin, who killed 12 people. The Tunisian is being searched in all EU states, the BBC reports. According to the arrest warrant issued by the German state, the Tunisian young man, who has links with the Islamic State terrorist network that claimed the attack, used at least 6 different identities and 3 nationalities. The German police announced that it offers 100,000 euros in exchange for information about the Tunisian’s hideout. On Monday he killed a Polish truck driver and drove the hijacked lorry into the crowds gathered at a Christmas Fair in Berlin. The attack left behind 12 people dead and almost 50 wounded. (translation by L. Simion)