January 24, 2015
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România Internațional, 24.01.2015, 12:00
Romania is hosting today ceremonies marking 156 years since the union of the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. Participating in the manifestations held in the northeastern Romanian city of Iasi, which was the capital of the former Romanian Principality of Moldavia, are the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and the PM Victor Ponta. On January 24th 1859 Alexandru Ioan Cuza, who had been elected one week before ruler of Moldavia, was unanimously voted by the Elective Assembly in Bucharest ruler of Wallachia as well and proclaimed prince of the united principalities. Cuza’s reign between 1859 and 1866 set the institutional foundation of the modern state of Romania through the radical reforms promoted. In 1918 the formation of the Romanian nation state was completed through the union of the Romanian Kingdom with the historical provinces with a majority speaking Romanian population that had been until then under the administration of the neighboring multinational empires. The union day is also marked today in the Republic of Moldova.
The acting PM of the Republic of Moldova, Iurie Leanca, remains the candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party for the position of PM, the leader of the party, Vlad Filat, has announced, as quoted by Radio Chisinau. The announcement was made after Friday’s meeting of Parliament, when the Liberal Democrats and the Democrats announced their decision to set up a minority parliamentary coalition without the Liberals, a coalition to be called the Alliance for a European Moldova. Vlad Filat pointed out that Parliament had 12 days at the most at its disposal to vote for the PM and the governing program of the new government. According to the agreement underlying the setting up of the new alliance, the position of PM will go to the Liberal Democratic Party, while the position of speaker of Parliament will go to the Democrats. The two parties hold together 42 seats of the total of 101 seats in the Moldovan Parliament. The Liberal Party announced it would not participate in the vote for the government. The communists say they will vote for a minority government made up of the 2 aforementioned parties. Last year Moldova concluded association and free-trade agreements with the EU, hoping to become a member in 2020.
Legislative elections will be held Sunday in Greece. According to opinion polls the main favourite is the leftist party Syriza, which wants to do away with the austerity measures imposed on Greece by the international lenders according to the aid scheme worth 240 billion euros and to renegotiate Greece’s debt payment installments. On the other hand a high ranking official from the Euro zone, quoted by Reuters, said that Athens would probably have to ask for a new extension of the financial aid scheme, before paying the installment worth 1.8 billion euros. The financial aid program for Greece granted by the Euro zone countries expires on February 28th.
The pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and the Dutch woman player Michaella Krajicek qualified Saturday for the eighth finals of the mixed doubles event at the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament after defeating the pair Elina Svitolina from Ukraine/ Raven Klaasen from South Africa. Mergea has also qualified for the eighth finals of the men’s doubles together with Dominic Inglot from Great Britain. Horia Tecau has also made headway into the eights finals of the mens doubles together with the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer. Two Romanian women players Simona Halep, WTA 3rd-seed and the 3rd favourite to winning the competition, and Irina Begu have also qualified for the eighth finals of the Australian Opens womens singles. Halep will play Sunday for qualification in the quarter finals against Belgian Yanina Wickmayer while Begu will take on Eugenie Bouchard (Canada), WTA 7th-seed.
