November 26, 2024
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 26.11.2024, 13:55
ELECTIONS The leaders of the Social Democratic Party (in the ruling coalition in Romania) have decided that Victor Negrescu should be in charge with the party’s political communication until the December 1 general elections, PM Marcel Ciolacu announced. The latter stepped down as party leader after failing to move into the second round of the presidential ballot. The leaders of the other party in the ruling coalition, the National Liberal Party, also resigned, beginning with its president Nicolae Ciuca, who only came out fifth in the first round. Party heavyweight Ilie Bolojan will serve as interim president for the Liberals. He announced his party would support the pro-European, right-of-centre Elena Lasconi in the second round due on December 8, against the pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu, the surprise winner of the first round.
NATIONAL DAY Nearly 2,500 troops and specialists from the defence ministry, the interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service, the National Penitentiary Administration and the Romanian Customs Authority, with about 190 vehicles and 45 aircraft, will take part in the military parade organised on Sunday, December 1, in Bucharest, on the occasion of Romania’s National Day. Along with Romanian soldiers, around 240 foreign troops will also march in the parade, deployed to Romania from Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Spain, the USA, Turkey and other countries. The foreign units include about 21 vehicles, including combat aircraft.
EUROPEAN UNION A European Parliament plenary session has begun in Strasbourg, where the final vote on the new European Commission will be held tomorrow. The EU’s support for Ukraine, amid North Korea’s growing involvement on Russia’s side, and another hot topic, the Gaza Strip situation, are being discussed. Talks are also taking place ahead of the adoption of the Union’s 2025 budget. According to the Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu, one of the negotiators, Parliament managed to secure a EUR 10 billion higher budget for next year compared to 2024, namely almost EUR 199.5 billion in commitments and EUR 155 billion in total payments, including amounts for special instruments outside the multiannual financial framework. The issue of Romania and Bulgaria’s full Schengen accession will also be discussed in the evening, following a recent agreement in Budapest, according to which Austria will withdraw its veto in the Council to allow this last step. Discussions could also include references to the fact that the Dutch Parliament might block this full accession in early December, as the “Financial Times” wrote a few days ago.
MIDDLE EAST Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah are about to conclude a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. According to Lebanese sources, the US and French presidents are expected to announce the ceasefire soon, after intense diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict that began last October, concurrently with Israel’s war against the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza. The deal between Israel and Lebanon is not backed, however, by all the political forces in the state or by the presidents of local councils in the towns on the border between the two states, Radio Romania’s correspondent reports. According to him, PM Netanyahu has talks today with all the heads of the political factions in the ruling coalition in an attempt to convince them to support the agreement, and in the afternoon he will convene a meeting of the political and security cabinet to the same effect. What seems to have convinced the Israeli PM to accept the deal, the correspondent also says, was the United States’ guarantee that it would support Israel’s right to attack Lebanon if the terms of the agreement were violated. (AMP)
