THE WEEK IN REVIEW
January 27-31, 2025
Călin Coțoiu, 01.02.2025, 13:51
Romanian presidential election calendar
The PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition government in Bucharest has adopted the presidential election calendar. According to the document, the first round of voting will take place on May 4, and the second – on May 18. Candidacies are submitted to the Central Electoral Bureau by March 15. The electoral campaign will begin on April 4 and end on May 3, at 7:00. While the actual voting on Romanian territory will begin on May 4, at 7:00, and end at 9:00 p.m., voting abroad will take place for three days, starting on May 2, at 7:00 a.m. local time. On the third day, voting will end at 21:00, Romanian time, but, as within the country, there is the possibility of extending this interval until 23:59, Romanian time, if there are still voters in the polling station or waiting in line. The second round of voting will begin in the country on May 18, while voting abroad will also last three days, and will begin on May 16, following the same rules as in the first round. We recall that, on December 6 last year, after validating the first round, and the second round was already underway in polling stations abroad, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the presidential elections, citing interference by a state actor. The CCR then decided that the electoral process should be resumed in its entirety.
The Venice Commission and the Romanian elections
The Venice Commission published its report on Monday on the annulment of the Romanian presidential elections by the Constitutional Court. The recommendations that were made state that such a decision should not be based exclusively on classified information, which does not guarantee the necessary transparency, but should precisely indicate the violations and evidence. In addition, the power of the Constitutional Court to invalidate the elections should be limited to exceptional circumstances and clearly regulated. Independent constitutional law experts also argue that proving violations of the law through online campaigns and social media is particularly difficult. Finally, the Venice Commission declines its competence to rule on the decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court to annul the presidential elections. In Bucharest, political parties in opposition today, namely the pro-European USR and the sovereignist AUR and the Young People’s Party, reacted immediately, emphasizing that, in effect, the consultative body of the Council of Europe confirmed that the Constitutional Court’s decision was illegal and abusive. Former Justice Minister Tudorel Toader explained, however, that this commission issued opinions, not a decision, and that the suggestions made are not binding.
Romania’s draft state budget for this year has been finalized
Romania’s draft state budget for 2025 is going through the final stages before the Government sends the document for debate in Parliament, where Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expects to receive the final vote next week. The executive promises a frugal budget, based on realistic estimates of revenues and better collection of taxes and duties by the tax authorities, with sizable allocations for investments. The budget is built taking into account an economic growth of 2.5% in 2025, and an average inflation of 4.4%, with the deficit being set at 7% of the Gross Domestic Product. The funds allocated to the Presidential Administration, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies will decrease, and the budgets of some ministries, such as environment, health, education, or transport, will increase. The largest increases are observed, according to a draft of the project, at the ministries of education, health, environment, and transport, but, by far, the most significant increase will be at the Ministry of Energy, with 153%.
Three suspects arrested in the case of the theft of the Romanian Dacian treasure from the Netherlands
Three people suspected of stealing the Romanian Dacian treasure from the Drents Museum in Assen were arrested by the Dutch police in the city of Heerhugowaard, in the province of North Holland. The information was confirmed by representatives of the Romanian Ministry of the Interior, who specified that all three are Dutch citizens. However, there is no information about the location of the stolen artifacts. These are the golden helmet from Coţofeneşti and three Dacian bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia – heritage objects, but also essential parts of the history and identity of the Romanian people, an invaluable cultural heritage not only for Romania, but for the entire world, specifies the Minister of Culture in Bucharest, Natalia Intotero. The minister dismissed the director of the National Museum of History of Romania, whom he criticized for the way he communicated publicly and institutionally in the case of the theft of the treasure items. We recall that the History Museum is the one that sent the artifacts to the exhibition in the Netherlands. In the meantime, several investigations are underway in the country regarding the way the exhibition in the Netherlands was organized, and whether all legal provisions were complied with.
Romanian football champion FCSB will play in the Europa League play-off
Romanian football champion FCSB was defeated by the English team Manchester United with a score of 2-0, Thursday evening, at the National Arena in Bucharest, in the eighth and final round of the Europa League football competition. The Bucharest team will play in the play-offs for the round of 16. The Romanian champion ranked 11th. The top eight qualified directly for the round of 16.
