A roundup of local and international news.
Elections. The foreign ministry in Bucharest has finished distributing the materials needed for the voting process abroad in the second round of Romania's presidential elections. 4,608,175 ballots were distributed among the 835 polling stations in the Romanian diaspora, 100,000 more than in the first round. The foreign ministry recalls that abroad, the voting process is held over the course of three days, on Friday between 12 am and 9 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm. In Romania, the voting takes place on Sunday, on the 24th of November. The incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, who is endorsed by the National Liberal Party, now in power, is running against the leader of the Social Democratic Party and until recently the prime minister of Romania, Viorica Dăncilă. In the first round held on the 10th of November, Iohannis won almost 38% of the votes, followed by Dăncilă with a little over 22%.
EU Commission. The European Parliament's foreign affairs committee on Monday approved Hungary's pick for enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi. Currently serving as Hungary's EU ambassador, he was the last of the 27 nominees yet to the approved by MEPs. After a hearing on the 14th of November, Varhelyi received additional written questions. Also at this date, Adina Vălean, Romania's nominee for transport commissioner, and Thierry Breton, France's pick for internal market commissioner, received the green light from the specialist committees. The team proposed by the president elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is to be put to a vote in the European Parliament on the 27th of November, so as to take office on the 1st of December, one month later than initially scheduled.
Republic of Moldova. Ion Chicu, the prime minister of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population, this week travels to Russia on his first foreign visit since taking office last week. Chicu, who was an adviser to Moldova's pro-Russian president Igor Dodon says his trip to Moscow was agreed a long time ago but did not take place although economic relations with Russia are very important for Moldova, he added. This will be the first time in a long time that a Moldovan prime minister travels to Moscow instead of Bucharest or Brussels on his or her first foreign trip. The former government led by the pro-European Maia Sandu was dismissed following a vote of no-confidence initiated by president Igor Dodon's Socialists, who were themselves part of the ruling coalition.
Christmas fair. The Christmas fair opens in Bucharest on the 28th of November, when the Christmas lights will also be switched on. Now in its 13th year, the Christmas fair stays open until the 26th of December. Visitors will be able to find there traditional Romanian products, from home-made cakes and sweets to mulled wine and cheese, as well as winter decorations, traditional clothes and toys. Activities for children will also be held, as well as traditional music and carol concerts given by music ensembles from across Romania. The Bucharest Christmas fair attracts 1 million visitors annually, both Romanian and foreign.
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