5 November, 2014
News and current affairs from Romania
România Internațional, 05.11.2014, 11:59
Romania’s Constitutional Court today turned down all challenges to the results of the first round of presidential elections, which was won by standing prime minister Victor Ponta, with 40.44% of the vote, followed by his main contender, the mayor of the city of Sibiu, Klaus Iohannis, which won 30.37% of votes. For the second round, scheduled for November 16, Victor Ponta got the endorsement and the votes of former PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu, nationalist Greater Romania Party head Corneliu Vadim Tudor, and independent candidate Teodor Melescanu, former head of foreign intelligence. Iohannis announced he would not negotiate support with any other former candidate for the second round, and that he would speak to citizens directly. Stay tuned for more after the news.
Romanian voters abroad who wish to vote in the second round of presidential elections, on 16 November, may use the personal responsibility form posted on the website of the Election Bureau and the Foreign Ministry, which they can fill in at will, but have to sign in person in the presence of personnel at the polls, said the Central Election Bureau. At the same time, according to new regulations, polls abroad have to have their commissions with a full complement five days before the elections. These measures come after major irregularities at polls set up for Romanians abroad were reported in the first round of elections, which prevented thousands from voting.
Romania’s football champions, Steaua Bucharest, today left for Portugal, where they play on Thursday in the return leg against Rio Ave, in J Group of the Europa League. In the first leg, Steaua beat its opponent 2-1. Steaua, having six points of nine possible, took first place in a group that includes Aalborg of Denmark and Dinamo Kiev of Ukraine. Also Thursday, in Group D, Romania’s vice-champions, Astra Giurgiu, meet at home the Celtics, after getting defeated in Glasgow 1-2. Astra has no points, and is last in its group, headed right now by the Celtics, a group that also includes Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia and Red Bull Salzburg of Austria.
