December 27, 2016 UPDATE

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 27.12.2016, 12:30

REJECTION – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday rejected Sevil Shhaideh, the Social Democrats’ nomination for the position of Prime Minister and called on the majority PSD — ALDE coalition to come up with another nomination. In response, the Social-Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea announced the coalition would make a decision until Thursday adding that the options include the procedure of impeaching the president. Dragnea has accused Iohannis of trying to trigger a political crisis in Romania. The UDMR (Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania), which has a Parliamentary support agreement with the PSD-ALDE coalition said the Social Democrats must come up with another nomination. According to the UDMR leader there are no constitutional reasons for the impeachment of the president and that the UDMR does not agree with such a move. The opposition has hailed the president’s refusal to nominate Shhaideh for the position of Prime Minister. Raluca Turcan, the interim leader of the National Liberal Party has called on the Social Democrats to refrain from threatening the president with impeachment and make another nomination. The former Development Minister, Shhaideh was proposed by the Social Democrats before Christmas during the talks president Iohannis had with the political parties that had made it to Parliament following the December the 11th election. The PSD-ALDE coalition holds 54% of the seats and is backed in the Legislature by the UDMR.

WEATHER – Romanian meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert for snow and blizzard in all the mountainous regions valid until Thursday. Snow will fall in these regions as well as in the east and southeast. Minimum temperatures will be ranging between – 6 and + 3 degrees Celsius, while the highs will stay between – 2 and + 6 degrees centigrade. Beginning December 29th the weather is expected to become cold and frosty during the night and morning particularly in northern and central Romania.

TAXES The Senate of Romania on Tuesday rejected a request from president Iohannis to reassess a bill on the elimination of 102 non-fiscal duties, including the radio-TV fee. On December 23rd, the president called on the Legislature to reassess this bill, which had been declared constitutional, for the effects it is going to have on citizens. The move to eliminate the radio-TV fee has attracted a lot of heat from domestic and international media organisations, which argued that it could affect the editorial autonomy of the two public institutions. The Chamber of Deputies is to make a final decision on this law.