THE WEEK IN REVIEW

February 26- March 1, 2024

Daniela Budu, 02.03.2024, 13:51

The complete calendar of the elections in Romania

The first round of the presidential elections in Romania will take place on September 15, and the second, if necessary, on September 29. The decision was taken by the governing coalition, which also gave up holding European Parliament election lasting two days for Romanians abroad, because, it claims, it would have violated the constitutional right of Romanians inside the country, who vote in a single day. Instead, the operating hours of the polling stations were extended. We recall that, previously, the coalition had decided that the European parliamentary elections will take place together with the local ones, on June 9, aiming for a greater participation in the vote for the European Parliament, the reduction of expenses, and the electoral period. The composition of the Romanian Parliament will be decided on December 8, when the general elections will take place. The President of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Toni Greblă, announced that over 30,000 electoral experts are prepared for this year’s successive elections. He is of the opinion that, from an institutional point of view, Romania is prepared to face this year, which he called atypical. Toni Greblă:

“Why did we say that this year is atypical? Because all types of elections – European, local, parliamentary and presidential – take place, practically, within only six months, and for this organizational reason and from other points of view, it will not be very easy”.

In addition, Toni Greblă assured that the elections will be organized transparently, respecting the principle of equanimity for all political competitors, so that the result will be the one desired by a majority of voters.

Anti-corruption balance

Prosecutors have rediscovered the ‘courage’ to investigate cases of grand corruption – said the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Marius Voineag, at the presentation of the institution’s activity report for the year 2023. He asked the investigators to continue to show evidence of maximum professionalism, referring to the cost of corruption, which remains unacceptably high for Romanian society. Marius Voineag presented some milestones from last year’s activity. Here is Marius Voineag:

“We wanted institutional consolidation by increasing human resources, and we managed to hire 29 prosecutors, without taking into account the last procedure, through which another 23 new prosecutors were validated at the beginning of this year. During the year 2023, 651 defendants were sent to court. The number of defendants sent to court under detention increased significantly. At the level of 2023, we have 2,259 cases, compared to 2,087 in 2022”.

For 2024, considering the electoral context, the directorate promises that it will continue to have the same determination to fight corruption. According to the management of the institution, the increase of the institutional capacity is tackled with an emphasis on human resources policies, and attention will be directed toward the major cases of corruption, and to the priority areas with an impact on the lives of citizens.

Romania supports Ukraine, along with the other EU states

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, was also present at the Paris Conference at the beginning of this week, organized at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron to support Ukraine. The head of state emphasized that the unity and solidarity of the international community in support of Ukraine are essential and must be maintained, Romania’s constant position being that of multidimensional support for Ukraine, for as long as it will be needed. According to a press release from the Presidential Administration, Klaus Iohannis said that maintaining unity and coordinated action at EU and NATO level continue to be essential aspects. Also, the head of state emphasized the need to maintain special attention on the Republic of Moldova, and highlighted the importance of coordinated reaction to counter the hybrid actions on the part of the Russian Federation. Equally, he drew attention to the implications that the war started by Russia has on European and Euro-Atlantic security and, in particular, on security in the Black Sea, a region where the effects of the conflict are felt intensely. The unanimous conclusion of the participants at the Paris meeting was that all efforts need to be intensified to continue the multidimensional support given to Ukraine.

Green Pact in Romania

At a meeting in the capital with the representatives of several non-governmental organizations, President Klaus Iohannis declared that a national pact is needed to make environmental protection becomes a priority. “The quality of life, health and safety of citizens depends on this”, said the head of state. He emphasized that the current decisions and actions in the field of the environment have implications for present and future generations, and gave thanks to civil society for their involvement. According to him, “the protection of the environment should not be neglected”, and through the projects of non-governmental organizations, citizens better understood the benefits of actions for the environment, and became real partners in the green transition. Present at the event, the Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet, said he believes that NGOs have a vital role in monitoring and guiding government policies, in educating the public, and in promoting sustainable practices, in a world where environmental issues are becoming more and more pressing. “I am convinced that together we can make significant changes in the way we protect and manage the natural resources of our planet” – declared Mircea Fechet.