October 21, 2018 UPDATE

Former PM Victor Ponta elected leader of Pro Romania Party

Newsroom, 21.10.2018, 18:36

PARTY – Former Romanian PM Victor Ponta was elected president of the Pro Romania Party on Sunday, at the first national congress of this new party, attended by around 900 delegates. Pro Romania, a left-of-center party, plans to lay emphasis on competence and a better European integration of Romania. Victor Ponta has said recently that the party will have its own candidate at the presidential elections due in 2019 but that he will not run, as he does not believe the criminal case opened against him will be closed. Ponta was a Social Democrat PM of Romania from 2012 until 2015. He resigned following massive street protests triggered by the fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest that killed tens of young people. Ponta’s breakup with the Social Democratic Party, which he led for five years, was prompted by a conflict with the party’s current leader, Liviu Dragnea, in 2017.

SALARIES – The Romanian Government is considering freezing salaries in the public sector in 2019. A letter sent recently by the Finance Ministry to Brussels reads that this is one of the measures envisaged for next year, for Romania to observe the deficit target of 2.58% of the GDP and subsequently to correct the deviation from the medium term objectives by reducing the structured balance which will exceed 3% of the GDP this year. According to the document posted on the European Commissions website, the Romanian Government intends to maintain the value of holiday tickets to approximately 300 Euro, and also the number of employees in the public sector.

VISIT – Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila had a meeting on Sunday in Kuwait with the head of this state, emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. On this occasion, the Romanian official reiterated Romania’s commitment to consolidating its ties with Kuwait, an important partner of Romania in the Gulf region. Later on Sunday, Viorica Dancila also met with Kuwaits PM, Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, for talks on topics of bilateral interest. The Romanian official visited the cultural center Abdullah Al Salem, one of the largest cultural compounds in the world, the Scientific Center and the Grand Mosque in the capital. On the occasion, the Romanian PM highlighted the possibility of developing bilateral ties in research and innovation.

MOURNING – Ilie Balaci, one of Romania’s best known football players, died on Sunday, aged 62. Balaci made his debut at the football team Universitatea Craiova , in 1973, and contributed to the team’s winning its first champion title. He was designated Romania’s footballer of the year twice, in 1981 and 1982. He won three national champion titles and four cups with Universitatea Craiova, a team that he played for most of his career, before his withdrawal from football in 1988. He then became a head coach and he had great success in the Arab countries, having won numerous titles in Tunisia, Morocco, The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

PROCESSION — In Bucharest, more than 1000 Roman and Greek Catholic believers and priests took part on Sunday in a procession with relic and icon of Pope John Paul II. The relic consists in several drops of the Popes blood, a gift to the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest from, the former personal secretary of the Pope, currently Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow. Born on May 18th, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla was elected pope in October 1978 and died on April 2nd, 2005, at the Vatican. Pope Francis declared him a saint in April 2014, so John Paul II was included in the calendar of the Catholic Church, and his liturgical commemoration was set for October 22nd of each year. In 1999, Pope John Paul II came to Romania, on the first visit to a predominantly orthodox country by a head of the Catholic Church.

FESTIVAL – Bucharest is hosting the 28th National Theater Festival. For 11 days, theater lovers have the opportunity to participate in some 100 artistic events: shows, performances, exhibitions, book launches and meetings with special guests. The director of the festival, Marina Constantinescu, has stated that the money collected during the festival will be donated to the Daruieste viata (Give Life) Association, for the building of the first hospital of pediatric oncology and radiotherapy in Romania. Bucharest is also playing host to the event titled Cannes Films in Bucharest, an opportunity for film goers to watch films awarded at the prestigious festival, but also films signed by Romanian directors.

(Translated by Elena Enache)