December 5, 2016
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 05.12.2016, 12:04
ELECTIONS This is the last week of the election campaign for the December 11th parliamentary elections in Romania. According to the legislation in force, the campaign ends on Saturday, December 10. Until then, those who want to become senators or deputies can present their political agendas and electoral offers through posters, rallies, meetings with the voters and through the media. The radio and TV campaign ends on December 9th. There are 6500 people running for 136 senator and 330 deputy seats.
ANTI-CORRUPTION An action titled The anti-corruption week at the borders has been launched in Romania. The citizens who will cross the border between Romania and the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine, or will enter the country through the Bucharest – Otopeni airport by December 9th will receive information materials and recommendations from the National Anticorruption Directorate. The event is taking place against the background of Romanias aspirations to join Schengen. A decision on ths matter is still hampered by political considerations.
REFERENDUM Italians have rejected the amendment to the Constitution proposed by the Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has announced he will resign as a result. The constitutional reform was aimed at diminishing the role of the Senate, granting less power to the local administration and more prerogatives to the central government If president Sergio Mattarella accepts the Governments resignation, early elections will be held in Italy, which might benefit the populist Five Star Movement, a party that stands against the Eurozone. According to analysts, Italy might enter a political crisis that would in turn trigger a shock similar to the one caused by the Brexit. Also, the countrys economic situation might be affected. Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone, and its government debts are among the highest in Europe.
AUSTRIAN ELECTION In the decisive round of the presidential elections in Austria on Sunday, the independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen, supported by the Greens, defeated Norbert Hofer, supported by the far right, DPA reports. The far-right Freedom Party has already acknowledged the defeat of its candidate, who got a little under 47% of the votes. This is the third time this year that Austrians have been called to the polls to elect their president. Mays elections were won in the second round also by Alexander Van der Bellen, but Hofer challenged the result, and the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of a re-vote. Van Der Bellen is 72 years old, an economist by trade and, although he was one of the leaders of the Austrian Greens, he ran for president as an independent.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is going to announce today his candidacy for the 2017 presidential elections, France Presse reports. If he wins the competition within the Socialist Party, Valls will have to defeat in spring the rightist Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen, member of the National Front. The socialist president Francois Hollande has announced he will not take part in the partys internal competition for a second mandate.
HANDBALL The Romanian national womens handball team is today playing its first game at the European Championship in Sweden against the powerful Norwegian squad, the current European and world champion. Its next opponents in group D will be Russia and Croatia. The Romanian squad is trained by the Spanish Ambros Martin, who was designated the best trainer in the world in 2013 and 2014 and has won the Champion League twice with the Hungarian team Gyor.
