February 3, 2020 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 03.02.2020, 19:46

No confidence motion — The text of the motion of no confidence tabled by the opposition Social Democratic Party- PSD against the Liberal government was read Monday in Parliament. The move was triggered off by the government’s decision to assume responsibility for a bill on electing mayors in two rounds of voting, almost 6 months ahead of the elections. The 208 senators and deputies of the PSD as well as of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, who initiated the motion called ‘The Orban/Liberal government — the privatization of the Romanian democracy’ are calling for the dismissal of the current government which they criticize for the modification of the election system ahead of the elections. They also claim that the adoption of these changes is being made without consultations and debates. The Liberals however argue that the new voting system will give mayors more legitimacy and representation. The Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said Monday that the Liberal MPs will have an open vote against the motion of no confidence, claiming that the motion is not supported by enough MPs to pass. 233 favorable votes are needed for the motion to pass and the government to be ousted.

Coronavuris – Ten days after the Chinese city of Wuhan was closed down, the gigantic Chinese city considered the hotbed from where the new coronavirus has spread to 24 countries, Beijing has reported a death toll of 361 people, of whom 57 died on Sunday alone. The epidemic infected over 17 thousand people in China and more than 170 abroad. In continental China (except for Hong Kong and Macau) the virus has killed more people than SARS (the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which killed 349 people over 2002-2003. The first victim outside China has been reported in the Philippines, according to the WHO. Many countries across the world have increased protection measures. Romania, where no case of coronavirus has been identified, has taken additional measures to monitor and prevent a possible outbreak. The government has decided to buy special protection and isolation equipment as soon as possible, the interior minister Marcel Vela has announced. Also, more medical staff will be dispatched to the Otopeni airport, near Bucharest, where special procedures are in place for the people coming from China.

Brexit — The EU can offer London a ‘highly ambitious’ trade deal which should include zero tariffs and quotas as well as many services, on condition the UK observed the EU standards now and in the future, said Monday the EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. The document will be the ‘central pillar of the partnership’ with London and aims chiefly at eliminating all customs duties and all quotas on goods traded with Europe, he explained. Barnier presented in Brussels the principles the EU has considered with regard to its future relation with the UK. According to the EU representative, if the UK leaves the single market and the EU customs union, then the goods entering the Union will be subject to regulatory checks. The agreement stipulates that the current period of transition — up to the end of the year- can be extended by one or two years, on condition London asks for it ahead of June 30.

Sentence — The former speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Valeriu Zgonea was sentenced on Monday by the Bucharest Court to 3 years in prison, in a case in which he was accused of influence peddling. He is accused of having intervened for the appointment of the daughter of a county councilor to a position of under-secretary of state. The defense lawyers claim that there is not enough evidence to prove their client’s guilt. The court’s decision is not definitive and can be challenged at the Court of Appeal. Valerius Zgonea’s case came to the attention of judges on January 2018.

Resignation — The speaker of the Senate, Teodor Melescanu, resigned his position on Monday. The decision comes after the Constitutional Court admitted, on January 22, that his election to the respective post ran counter to the Constitution. The Court judges had postponed making a decision in this case 6 times, as the notification was made in September 2019 by MPs from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the National Liberal Party, the People’s Movement Party and other non-affiliated senators. (translation and update by L. Simion)