September 26 – October 2 , 2020

A look at the main headline-making events this past week

Newsroom, 03.10.2020, 14:00

Local elections in the time of pandemic

46% of the Romanians with the right to vote went to the polls
last Sunday to elect their local authorities. Although lower than at the previous
such election, the turnout was good in the complicated context created by the
pandemic, which imposed unprecedented health safety measures on election
Sunday. The vote has already brought about changes and heralds a tough
confrontation at the parliamentary elections due in December. For the first
time, the governing Liberals won the political vote, practically doubling its
number of county council presidents and winning the majority of town halls. Moreover,
the National Liberal Party broke the monopoly of the Social Democrats in counties
that had been loyal to them for 2 or 3 decades. However, the Social Democratic
Party, with the largest number of members in parliament, is still the political
party that holds most mayoralties and the first place with regard to the number
of county council presidents. The great loss for the party is the one recorded
in Bucharest, which it had totally controlled for four years. The independent
Nicusor Dan, supported by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania -
PLUS Alliance will be the mayor of the capital, replacing Gabriela Firea.

The candidates of the center-right alliance created ad-hoc in
Bucharest also won in three of the 6 sectors of the capital. At the Municipal
Council, the Social Democratic Party is on the first position, but the Save
Romania – PLUS Alliance obtained scores that will allow them to decide together
the administration of a city rich in resources, but poor in vision and
projects. Through the second place obtained at the political vote on Bucharest
and the winning of some important municipalities like Timişoara and Braşov, in
which they dethroned liberal mayors, the Save Romania – PLUS Alliance confirms
its status as an alternative political force. The victory of a German in
Timişoara and a French woman in sector 1, the richest in Bucharest, is the proof
that the Alliance comes with something new in Romanian politics. Unperturbed by
the pandemic, the electoral process is overshadowed by scandals and cross-fire accusations
of fraud between the Social Democratic Party and the Save Romania – PLUS Alliance, especially regarding the number
of votes obtained in Bucharest and sector 1 in particular.

Daily records of new coronavirus infections

This week, Romania has for the first time exceeded the threshold
of 2000 daily infections. Specialists had anticipated that this would be the
case, especially after the opening of schools. The number of daily infections
is increasing throughout Europe and there is talk of the imminence of a second
wave of the pandemic. In Romania, more than 130,000 cases of infection have
been reported, and the number of dead is approaching 5,000. Some 500 patients
are constantly in intensive care, but only one third are intubated and need
ventilation, said the Minister of Health, Nelu Tataru. At national level, the
incidence of COVID-19 cases is close to one in one thousand inhabitants, but
the differences are big from one area to another. That is why the
reintroduction of restrictions or even quarantine must be established according
to the local situation of the coronavirus epidemic, and not at the level of the
entire county, said Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. He also called on the
authorities responsible for daily inspections to ensure compliance with health
protection measures. The Ministers of the Interior, Transport, Labor and Health
are called upon to draw up a plan containing clear actions for the
implementation of these measures

The EC Report on the rule of law and Bucharest’s response

The health crisis caused by the pandemic has consumed almost all
the energy of the political actors in Bucharest. Thus, the commitment to put back
on track the judiciary, severely affected by the controversial changes to the
laws of justice and criminal and criminal procedure codes during the last
left-wing government, seemed forgotten. In its latest report on the rule of law
in Romania, the European Commission states that the laws of justice, the
functioning of the National Audiovisual Council, access to public information
and the excess of emergency ordinances are the main problems. The document
emphasizes that in 2020, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to correct
through judicial reforms the measures with negative impact adopted in the
period 2017-2019, which led to the alleviation of tensions in the judiciary.

According
to the evaluation, the controversial measures with a negative impact on judicial
independence continue to apply, such as the functioning of the Section for the
Investigation of Crimes in the Judiciary, which deals exclusively with
prosecuting crimes committed by judges and prosecutors. Further implementation
of these measures increases uncertainty with regard to the functioning of the justice
system, especially through the effects they have together, the European
Commission warns. On the day the report was published in Brussels, in
Bucharest, the Ministry of Justice launched a public debate on the proposals to
amend the justice laws. They aim at strengthening the role of the Superior
Council of Magistracy in organizing and conducting competitions and examinations
through the National Institute of Magistracy and professionalizing the process
of selecting magistrates by eliminating any means of entering the judiciary
without competition. Also, the line ministry decided the elimination of the
early retirement scheme for magistrates, the strengthening of the principle of prosecutor
impendence in the judiciary and the dismantling of the Section for the
Investigation of Crimes in the Judiciary.

Less
optimistic economic forecasts

The European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development has revised downwards its forecasts regarding
Romania’s economic evolution in 2020 and 2021, as a result of the crisis
triggered by the pandemic. According to the latest forecasts, Romania’s economy
would record a 5% drop this year, as to the 4% estimated in May. For 2021, EBRD
expects a 3% expansion of Romania’s GDP, against a 4% growth forecast in
spring. Therefore, after a robust growth of 4.1% in 2019, Romania is facing
recession in 2020. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,
the key transmission channels are lower consumption and declining exports. (M. Ignatescu)