January 6, 2025

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 06.01.2025, 13:52

Epiphany. Christians celebrate today the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord or Epiphany. Priests bless the water, in commemoration of Christ’s baptism in the river  Jordan. After 30 years of living in anonymity, Jesus Christ, son of God, began his mission on the banks of the Jordan River, where the prophet John was baptizing those who repented of their sins. According to the Gospel, at the time of the baptism of Jesus, a supernatural phenomenon occurred, whereby a voice from heaven was heard, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. Christian theology interprets this as the manifestation of the Holy Trinity, confirming the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. The faithful who go to church today receive holy water blessed during a special service officiated after the Liturgy in front of churches or on the banks of watercourses. The blessed water is reminiscent of the consecration of the river Jordan when Jesus descended into the river to receive baptism.

Budget. The government wants to finalize the state budget by the end of this month, so that the new Parliament can debate it and vote on it, most likely, in an extraordinary session. The new budget will be based on a deficit of no more than 7% of GDP, as agreed with the European Commission, with no other fiscal measures envisaged. However, major spending cuts in the public sector and the reforms laid down for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan are needed. These include freezing public sector wages as well as state child benefits. The subsidy allocated to political parties will also be reduced by 25% compared to the level granted last year. New hirings in the public sector will also be frozen and certain public institutions will be reorganized and merged. The tax on dividends is also expected to go up from 8% to 10% and a new tax will be introduced, targeting special buildings. Pensions will not go up this year, either. The Government aims to reduce budget waste by 1% of GDP, that is by some 3.8 billion euros, and to increase budget revenues.

Elections. The interim president of the National Liberal Party, Ilie Bolojan, has warned that the presidential elections could be postponed until May if the ruling coalition parties don’t come up with an election timetable next week. The Liberals are in favour of holding the elections before Easter. Speaking about the nomination of the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu as the coalition’s joint candidate for president, Bolojan explained that the nomination could officially approved by each party’s leadership as spoon as the election timetable is established. He called for coherence and unity in supporting the joint candidate. The leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, said the date of the presidential elections should be set as soon as possible and that the ballot should take place before Easter. He added that a decision should be made this week. The leader of the Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, accused the parties in government that they are only interested in holding on to power and privileges and are not interested in the stability of the country.

Candidate. The former president of the National Liberal Party, Crin Antonescu, says he no longer considers himself the joint candidate for president on behalf of the ruling coalition. He explained that he made this decision unilaterally, not withdrawing his candidacy, but realizing that the four political leaders who nominated him did not have the full backing of their parties. The Constitutional Court annulled  the presidential elections at the end of 2024, against suspicions of Russia’s meddling  in the election process. On December 23, the ruling parties, namely the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well as the group of ethnic minorities, agreed to support a joint candidate for president and nominated Crin Antonescu, with the decision to be later put to the vote by each party’s leadership boards. On December 28, they established that the first round of the presidential elections would take place on March 23, followed by the second round on April 6. In order for the two ballots to be held on these dates, the government must issue an order to this end by January 7.

Golden Globe. The Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan won the Golden Globe award for the best leading role in the film “A Different Man”, where he plays a man struggling with a genetic condition that causes skin and bone tumors. The role also earned the Silver Bear trophy at the Berlin International Film Festival last year. At the Golden Globes, Sebastian Stan was also nominated for his role in “The Apprentice”, in which he plays the billionaire Donald Trump. Stan was born in Romania, but left the country when he was only 12 years old.