November 5, 2015
Sorin Cimpeanu is Romania's interim prime minister.
Florentin Căpitănescu, 05.11.2015, 12:00
Romanias President Klaus Iohannis has today announced it appointed Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu as interim prime minister to replace Victor Ponta who resigned on Wednesday after mass street protests. President Iohannis will hold talks with political parties later today and will nominate a new prime minister later this week, tasked with forming a new government, which needs parliamentary approval. The head of state is today meeting with representatives of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), part of the ruling coalition, of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) – both in opposition -and of the group of national minorities. Consultations will continue on Friday with the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), both part of the ruling coalition. President Iohannis has also announced that he will bring “a new actor” to the table, that is a group which represents civil society and the street, to listen to their wishes and opinions.
133 people, of whom 80 in serious condition, are still in hospital following the fire in the “Colectiv” nightclub, which caused the death of 32 people, authorities have announced. The death toll could rise significantly, doctors have warned, given that the club décor that burnt in the fire gave off extremely noxious gases and the injuries caused are atypical, including burns involving large areas of the skin, lung necrosis and extensive respiratory damage.
Wednesday evening’s protests in Bucharest and several other Romanian cities, attended by tens of thousands of people, made headlines throughout the world. In spite of prime minister Victor Ponta’s resignation, France Press reports, protesters are asking for a government made up of technocrats, against the background of their lack of confidence in political parties. Reuters reports that protesters believe that the government’s resignation should be the start of a reform of the political class and the public administration, generally seen as corrupt. In its turn, the BBC says that concerns that safety has been compromised by corruption, fuelled people’s anger at the political elite. People are unsatisfied with politicians getting richer and richer while ordinary Romanians are becoming poor and poor, the Liberation writes.
Romanian gymnast Larisa Iordache won the all-around title at the 32nd edition of the annual “Arthur Gander Memorial” competition on Wednesday in Morges, Switzerland. Iordache, the all-around bronze medallist in Glasgow, competed on vault, balance beam and floor exercise to easily win the title. The Romanian gymnast sailed to victory amassing a 2-point margin over second place Pauline Schäfer of Germany. Another Romanian, Diana Bulimar, came out 3rd. First held in 1984, the annual competition honors the legendary Arthur Gander, the former president of the International Gymnastics Federation.
