February 18, 2024
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom and Daniel Bilț, 18.02.2024, 13:55
TALKS Leaders of the ruling Social Democratic and the National Liberal Parties are today resuming talks on the possible merger of the elections due in Romania this year. Unless they reach an agreement, the elections are to be staged on the date previously set – Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has announced. The Liberals insist though that the election for the European Parliament take place together with those for the local public administration on June 9th. Among their arguments are the funds cuts and a higher turnout. The Social Democrats are calling for a clear timetable for the entire election year and for merging the election for the domestic Legislature with the second round of the presidential voting. The opposition says that talks for the merger do nothing but divert the attention of the Romanians from the real problems the ruling coalition is presently facing.
CONFERENCE On the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich, Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu, had a meeting with a group of veterans from the Russian-Ukrainian front. On this occasion, the minister has conveyed a firm message of solidarity with the neighboring Ukraine and its people, ‘in their legitimate fight to defend the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of their country in the illegal aggression war Russia is waging on Ukraine. According to a press communiqué the Romanian Foreign Ministry released on Sunday, minister Odobescu had earlier participated in the second day of the Conference in Germany in an event devoted to the situation of Afghan women and had talks with her counterparts and with representatives of the international think-tanks.
POLO Polls drawn on Saturday have placed Romania’s national water polo side in group A together with Croatia, Italy, Greece, the United States and Montenegro at the Olympic Games in Paris. The International water polo federation had earlier announced Romania’s unexpected qualification, as our athletes ended on the tenth position at the World Championship in Doha, Qatar. Only the first eight sides are qualified but South Africa had declared forfeit for Paris. So, Romania, the best placed side among those unqualified, has thus ensured their tickets for Paris. Water polo is the only team sport with Romanian participation in the aforementioned Olympics. Romania ranked 8th at the European Championships in Croatia a month ago.
SCULPTURE A sculpture by Romania’s greatest sculptor Constantin Brancusi, which was believed, lost or destroyed until last year, has been put on display at the Artmark Galleries in Bucharest. The sculpture known as ‘Bust of a Restaurant Patron’ is actually depicting a waiter in the Parisian café where the artist worked as dishwasher shortly after his arrival in Paris. The sculpture was made around 1905-1906 and has been recently bought at an international auction in Paris by a Romanian collector.
