<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The education portfolio in the cabinet
\nmade up of the Social Democratic Party-the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats is
\nvacant, after the relevant minister Valentin Popa stepped down on Thursday.
\nActually, his name had already been mentioned for a prospective government
\nreshuffle, likely to be made next month. An engineer, professor, rector of
\nSuceava University in the north-east, Popa was sworn in at the start of the
\nyear, when a cabinet was formed by his Social-Democrat colleague, Viorica
\nD\u0103ncil\u0103. He is the second minister to resign, after research minister Nicolae
\nBurnete discretely made public his decision to step down on August 31, without
\nhowever detailing the reasons behind his decision. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The press has however
\nspeculated that Burnete was allegedly discontented about the insufficient funds
\nallotted to his domain and that he was among those envisaged for a possible
\nreshuffle. In exchange, Popa’s resignation has stirred rumours. In
\nTransylvania, central Romania, which is home to the largest Hungarian community
\nin Romania, of up to 1.2 million people, ethnic Hungarian teachers had gone on
\na token strike. They had made public their decision to go ahead with their
\nprotest until the suspension of a government decision stipulating that Romanian
\nlanguage course in primary schools with tuition in Hungarian be given by
\nteachers of Romanian. The leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians
\nin Romania, UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, has put the issue on UDMR’s agenda and called
\nfor Popa’s resignation. Until then, he has warned, the parliamentary
\ncooperation protocol between the Union and the majority made up of the Social Democratic
\nParty-the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats remains suspended. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Romanian
\nlanguage and Romania do not make the object of negotiations, Popa responded,
\nsaying that he stepped down precisely because he does not agree with UDMR’s
\nrequest to change the government decision. In exchange, Kelemen Hunor says that
\ntendering his resignation was the right decision, adding that Popa should
\nassume responsibility for the consequences produced by the measures he had
\ntaken and which created confusion among tens of thousands of pupils, teachers
\nand parents. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In turn, the president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, C\u0103lin
\nPopescu-T\u0103riceanu, has said he does not know the reasons behind the resignation
\nand added however that the UDMR leader had already told him about his
\ndiscontent over the teaching of the Romanian language in classes with tuition
\nin the Hungarian language. The National Liberal Party, in opposition, claims
\nthe minister’s resignation is not an act of honour, but one showing
\nincompetence and weakness and that his successor will take over a difficult mission.
\nAnalysts believe the reasons behind Popa’s resignation are purely mathematical. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Over the past 20 years, thanks to its 6%
\npresence in the Romanian Parliament, UDMR has frequently been included in the
\ncoalition cabinets in Bucharest, be they of right or left wing orientation. And
\nwhen it is not in power, the Union usually votes alongside the Power. Against
\nthis backdrop, for the Social-Democratic leader of the coalition, Liviu
\nDragnea, the ethnic Hungarian MPs’ votes might become vital, at a time when
\nmore and more people are leaving the party ranks. Therefore, pundits say it is
\nnot by chance that Popa tendered his resignation soon after having a private
\ntalk with Dragnea. <\/p>\n
(Translated by D. Vijeu)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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