March 16, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 16.03.2025, 20:00
A roundup of local and international news.
SOLIDARITY – Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan conveyed, in a message on Sunday, Romania’s solidarity with the people of North Macedonia, following the fire in a city in the east of the country, which left dozens dead and over 150 injured. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu sent his condolences and said that Romania is ready to offer its support. The fire broke out on the night of Saturday to Sunday, in a crowded club, where a famous hip-hop band was performing. Most people in the audience were young. The fire reportedly broke out as a result of the use of pyrotechnic devices. The tragedy in North Macedonia is reminiscent of the one that took place in Bucharest, on October 30, 2015, at the Colectiv club, when a fire also broke out as a result of fireworks that lit the ceiling. 64 young people died in the fire – 27 that night, and the rest of them in hospital, in the weeks that followed. 150 people were injured. In 2017, almost 2 years after the Colectiv fire, one of the survivors committed suicide.
PRESIDENCY- Romania will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to ensure a lasting and fair peace, the country’s interim President Ilie Bolojan said in a message posted on the Internet, after participating, on Saturday, in a videoconference on Ukraine, hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Bolojan said that an unconditional ceasefire is a first step towards a lasting peace, and Russia must agree to this. Ilie Bolojan also advocated coordination between the states that participated in the discussions – several European countries, as well as Canada, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.
DECISION – In Romania, the National Audiovisual Council has decided to require the TikTok platform to remove clips and audio-video material inciting violence against members of the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC). The BEC notified the CNA about this content, and the Council identified the profiles responsible for distributing the materials, even if some of them were no longer public. The respective accounts are to be analyzed and, if necessary, their closure may be ordered. The CNA specifies that it operates on a permanent basis and constantly maintains contact with the public and with the relevant authorities on this period preceding the presidential elections, namely the Central Electoral Bureau and the Permanent Electoral Authority.
ELECTIONS – The interim President of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, will held talks, on Monday with representatives of the authorities and public institutions responsible for organizing the presidential elections in May. The period for submitting candidacies for the presidential seat ended, and the final list of those who will enter the race will be made public on Thursday. The Central Electoral Bureau has received a total of 21 submissions, among which three of independents– the current mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, the former social-democratic prime minister, Victor Ponta, and John-Ion Banu-Muscel. Another candidate is Crin Antonescu, running for the Romania Forward Alliance, formed by the current ruling parties PSD, PNL and UDMR,, as well as representatives of the opposition, such as the USR president Elena Lasconi, the head of AUR, George Simion, Lavinia Şandru representing PUSL, and Cristian Terheş with the Romanian National Conservative Party. Among the rejected candidates is that of the independent sovereignist Călin Georgescu. The first round will take place on May 4, and the second on May 18.
WEATHER – After several days of extremely high temperatures for this time of year, the weather in Romania is changing significantly. On Monday, temperatures will continue to drop in most of the country. The sky will be overcast and precipitation will be present in most areas, especially in the form of snow in the mountainous areas, mixed in the west, center and east of Romania and predominantly showers in the rest. The wind will intensify in almost the entire country, and in the mountains, at high altitudes, the gusts will be 75 to 90 km/h and there will also be blizzard. The minimum temperatures will range from minus 11 to plus 3 degrees Celsius, and the maximum between 3 and 15 degrees. (EE)
