December 22, 2024
A roundup of news from Romania and the world
Newsroom, 22.12.2024, 13:55
Consultations – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on Sunday invited the presidents of the political parties and groups represented in Parliament for consultations with a view to appointing the candidate for the position of prime minister. The Presidential Administration points out that the series of meetings in Bucharest will begin with the joint delegation of the pro-European parties PSD, PNL, UDMR and the parliamentary group of national minorities. Then follow, separately, USR (pro-European), and the sovereigntist parties – S.O.S. Romania and the Party of Young People (POT). The president of the sovereigtnist party AUR, George Simion, announced that his party would not participate in the consultations, because they did not recognize the legitimacy of president Klaus Iohannis.
Parliament – A new plenary session is scheduled today at the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, for the establishment of specialized commissions. On Saturday, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies validated all the mandates of the new parliamentarians, after which they took the oath of allegiance. The negotiations regarding the setting up of the new governing coalition have postponed the election of the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, and, until a government formula is finalized, the Chamber of Deputies will be led on an interim basis by the social democrat Daniel Suciu, and the interim speaker of the Senate will be the liberal Mircea Abrudean. The senators decided on Saturday, by vote, the makeup of the specialized commissions and their management. Also on Saturday, at the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the parliamentary groups of the political parties that entered Parliament were formed. 465 parliamentarians, 331 deputies and 134 senators will be active in the new Legislature. Seven parties have representatives in the two Chambers, four pro-European parties – PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR -, and three sovereigntist parties – AUR, S.O.S. Romania and POT. The 19 national minorities also have representatives in Parliament.
Revolution – In Bucharest continue the events dedicated to the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989. 35 years ago was Victory Day, a day when the Revolution spread throughout the country. Dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu fled by helicopter from the roof of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and people massively took to the streets and shouted “Freedom”. It was also the day after which the number of dead and wounded increased significantly. The heroes who fell in those days were also commemorated, today, at the Monument in front of the Concert Hall of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation. 11 people lost their lives to defend the Public Radio, which, 35 years ago, was hit by gunfire. The public radio was one of the most important objectives of communist propaganda, and the revolutionaries taking control of it was the first step towards victory. Romania was the only communist country in Europe where the regime change resulted in bloodshed. Captured and summarily tried, Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were shot dead on December 25. Over a thousand people were killed in December 1989.
Cyclone – The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that nine Romanian citizens who were on the island of Mayotte following the passage of Cyclone Chido were evacuated on board an aircraft belonging to the French Air Force. The situation of the Romanian citizens came to the attention of the Consulate General of Romania in Paris a week ago, when the Cyclone hit the island, and permanent contact was maintained in order to identify a possibility for them to return to the country. The Foreign Ministry thanks the French authorities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, as well as the local authorities and the Prefecture of the Mayotte islands for the support and assistance given to Romanian citizens, in the difficult context caused by the extreme weather phenomena produced in the French overseas territory. (LS)
