Local election of September 27<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
On Sunday,
\nSeptember 27, Romanians will hit the polls to vote in the first local election
\norganized with the strict observance of health safety regulations. Candidates
\nare vying for one of the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3,200
\nmayor seats, 1,300 county councilmen and 40,000 local councilmen positions. Due
\nto the coronavirus pandemic, the mandates of local officials had been postponed
\nby another six months. There will be a single round of elections, which means
\nvoter turnout will be key, analysts have argued. In previous years, the voter
\nturnout average was 50%. This year, the percentage might be even lower, amidst
\nfears of infection. Authorities say all the necessary measures are in place,
\nallowing people to cast their votes safely.
\nThe parties leading opinion polls are the Social-Democratic Party in
\nopposition, which won most mandates in the previous local election, and the
\nNational Liberal Party in power. The
\nSave Romania Union – PLUS Alliance is gaining ground, its voters disgruntled
\nwith both aforementioned parties. This Sunday’s election is seen as a test for
\nthe December 6 legislative election. <\/p>\n
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\n
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COVID-19 <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
September has
\npresented the authorities with numerous challenges: the start of a new school
\nyear, the reopening of theatres, cinemas and restaurants and people generally
\nreturning to work after the summer holidays. This week the authorities
\ncontinued to raise public awareness as to the importance of strictly observing
\nhealth safety measures. Wednesday saw a new record-high number of infections
\nreported within the span of 24 hours: 1,767 against 25,000 tests. The national
\ninfection rate has gone up to 0.8%. However, this rate is higher in many
\ncounties and cities. Overall, the number of infections is close to 120,000.
\nSome 95,000 patients have recovered and 4,600 people have died to the virus.
\nAccording to official estimates, there are under 20,000 active cases presently
\nat national level. <\/p>\n
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\n
<\/p>\n
Resignation<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The head of
\nthe Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT),
\nGiorgiana Hosu, stepped down on Thursday night after her husband, Dan Hosu, the
\nformer chief of the Department for combating the trafficking of migrants, was
\nhanded a suspended prison sentence of three years. He was charged with
\nincitement to the illegal use of a computer system and the use of classified
\ninformation. The Justice Ministry announced that the Superior Council of
\nMagistracy has already taken notice of Mrs. Hosu’s resignation. The Council had
\nissued a negative opinion when interviewing Giorgiana Hosu for the position.
\nGiorgiana Hosu said her stepping down is meant to safeguard the credibility of
\nDIICOT from a situation unrelated to its activity. In other news, the head of
\nthe Romanian Gendarmerie, Bogdan Enescu, has been indicted by anti-corruption
\nprosecutors in a case where he is accused of abuse of office. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Controversial
\nmeasures<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The political
\nfight between the Liberal Government and the Social-Democrat-controlled
\nParliament continued this week in Bucharest. The Constitutional Court this week
\nruled in favor of a notification filed by Parliament, which means the
\nGovernment will have to double child benefits, based on a piece of legislation
\nthe Social-Democrats passed in 2019. The measure was supposed to take effect in
\nJanuary. At the time the Government said the budget cannot sustain the measure,
\nso it passed an emergency decree postponing its implementation. This summer the
\nGovernment announced the increase of child benefits would be spaced-out in five
\nstages until 2022. Despite the Court’s decision, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
\nsaid his decision still stands. Another bone of contention this week was the
\n40% increase in pensions, which was supposed to take effect on September 1. The
\nLiberals have promised they would use all legal means at their disposal to
\nblock this law, as the economy cannot sustain this burdening measure. The
\nSocial-Democrats claim the money is there to help, and the increase in pensions
\nwill not deepen the budget deficit. Parliament therefore this week passed a
\nbudget adjustment law which is fundamentally different from what the Liberals
\nhad submitted, based on a 14% increase in pensions. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Halep wins Rome tournament <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Simona Halep,
\nworld no. 2, this week won her first Internazionali BNL d’Italia title after
\ndefeating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, the defending champion in
\nRome, who withdrew due to medical problems in the second set. Halep had won the
\nfirst set 6-nil. This is Simona’s 22nd title of her career, with
\nwins reported in Doha, Shenzhen, Dubai, Indian Wells, Madrid, Montreal,
\nWimbledon and Roland Garros. The win in Rome has prompted bookmakers to dub
\nHalep favorite to win the Roland Garros Grand Slam this year. Matches in the
\nmain draw in Paris are due to start on September 27. Simona Halep is seeded
\nfirst in the women’s singles. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(Translated
\nby V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Local election of September 27 On Sunday, September 27, Romanians will hit the polls to vote in the first local election organized with the strict observance of health safety regulations. Candidates are vying for one of the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3,200 mayor seats, 1,300 county councilmen and 40,000 local […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":124694,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40944],"tags":[42304],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-124748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-week-in-review","tag-the-week-in-review"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n