December 21, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 21.12.2024, 18:55

Parliament. On Saturday, the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament gathered in plenary session to validate the mandates of the newly elected MPs, after they were analyzed by the specially constituted commissions. For the Chamber, all the elected members were validated, but for the Senate, four members renounced their seats, so the next four on the list were validated. The Chamber of Deputies elected, on Saturday, its vice-presidents, quaestors and secretaries of the Permanent Bureau. The Social Democrat Daniel Suciu was appointed interim President. The Permanent Bureau of the Senate was also voted on, and according to sources, the Liberal Mircea Abrudean will be elected interim Speaker. A number of 465 parliamentarians, 331 deputies and 134 senators, will be active in the new Legislature. Seven parties have representatives in the two Chambers, four pro-European parties – PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR – and three sovereign parties – AUR, SOS Romania and POT. The 19 national minorities also have representatives in Parliament.

Negotiations. The head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis, invited, on Sunday, the presidents of the political parties and groups represented in parliament for consultations with a view to appointing the candidate for the position of prime minister. The Presidential Administration says that the series of meetings in Bucharest will begin with the joint delegation of PSD, PNL, UDMR and the parliamentary group of national minorities. Next and separately will be AUR, USR, SOS Romania and the Young People’s Party (POT). On Saturday, PSD, PNL and UDMR, together with the representatives of the national minorities, resumed discussions on the subject of the future Government and the governing program. The spokesperson for the PSD, Lucian Romaşcanu, stated that it’s premature to talk about an official nomination for prime minister, specifying that this will be done after the consultations with Klaus Iohannis. In his opinion, the Social-Democratic leader, Marcel Ciolacu, deserves to remain in this position. According to some political sources, PSD, PNL, UDMR and the group of national minorities have agreed that the future government will have only 16 ministries, compared to the current 18. PSD and UDMR believe that the party that won the largest number of votes in the parliamentary elections should come up with the proposal for prime minister, while in PNL there are leaders who believe that a technocrat at the head of the government would be the best solution. On Monday, an accelerated procedure would begin in the Parliament, with hearings in the specialized committees and the vote to inaugurate the future cabinet.

Commemoration. A ceremony commemorating the freedom fighters who died during the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989 took place in Bucharest on Saturday. The demonstrations dedicated to the Revolution will continue, in the capital, this weekend, with several religious and military ceremonies held at the monuments to the heroes of December ’89. December 21, 1989 is considered the first day of the anti-communist revolution in Bucharest, after the failed rally called by the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, followed by the erection of barricades in the city center and the bloody repression of the anti-communist demonstrators. Ceauşescu’s speech, full of promises and in which the achievements of communism were evoked, was interrupted by the booing of the participants. The rally, broadcast on radio and television, ended earlier. In the evening, groups of demonstrators gathered, and the repression forces opened fire on them, killing and wounding many of them. Many protesters were arrested. Initiated a week before, in Timişoara (west) and spreading to other large cities, the Revolution culminated in Bucharest, on December 22, with Ceausescu’s attempt to flee the headquarters of the central committee of the communist party. Captured and tried summarily, Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed on December 25. Romania was the only communist country in Europe where the regime change was done with bloodshed. Over a thousand people were killed in the December 1989 anti-Communist revolution.

Solidarity. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis showed, on Saturday, dismay at the terrorist attack that took place in Magdeburg (Germany), stating that Romania stands in solidarity with the German people in these difficult moments. The Romanian Government has also voiced its solidarity with the German people and sent condolences to the families of the victims. The alleged author of the attack is an “Islamophobic”, stated, on Saturday, the German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, while the number of victims increased to five dead and over 200 injured. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who went to the place on Saturday, called for national cohesion following this “crazy” attack. In this context, he promised to “take measures against those who want to sow hatred”. The alleged perpetrator, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who has lived in Germany since 2006, was arrested on Friday shortly after he drove a car into the Christmas market crowd.

Education. Romania has received the formal approval of the OECD in the field of educational policies, a step that confirms the end of the evaluation process and the alignment of national policies with the standards promoted by the organization in the field of education and skills, the relevant ministry announced today. The following priority actions were considered: the quality of programs and results, opportunities and equal access to education, as well as governance strengthening. The OECD has thus completed the evaluation of the country in the field of education and training and encourages the adoption by Romania of some future actions to strengthen school leadership, the development of dual education, continuous training, access to quality education and training in rural communities, the recognition of previous learning non-formal and informal, financing or governance. (MI)