June 17, 2017 UPDATE

Parliament to convene on Sunday for motion to censure the Grindeanu Cabinet

Newsroom, 17.06.2017, 19:18

GOVERNMENT – The Social Democratic Party, the main member of the ruling coalition in Romania, stepped up the process of dismissing its own Cabinet headed by Sorin Grindeanu. Parliament will convene on Sunday to present a motion to censure, and the document will be discussed and voted on three days later, on Wednesday. The Social Democrats need 233 votes to have the motion passed, and together with their allies, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, they have 247 seats in Parliament. On Friday, ex-PM Victor Ponta was appointed secretary general of the Grindeanu Cabinet, in what analysts see as Grindeanus attempt to secure allies among the influential members of the Social Democratic Party, from which he has been recently expelled. In turn, the Social Democrats claim Sorin Grindeanu and Victor Ponta are trying to highjack the executive power. We remind you that PM Grindeanu will not step down, although the ruling coalition withdrew its political support for the Government and most ministers have resigned. Sorin Grindeanu is criticised for lack of efficiency in implementing the governing programme. In turn, he says the situation will be settled in compliance with the Constitution and the applicable legislation. The head of state, Klaus Iohannis, has called on the coalition to solve its internal crisis.

POLITICS – Ludovic Orban, a minister of transport in 2007-2008, was elected on Saturday the new president of the National Liberal Party, the largest right-wing party in the Romanian parliamentary opposition. MEP Cristian Buşoi was his challenger in the election. Both candidates promised a revival of the party, after the deafeat in the 2016 general election, when they only got 20% of the votes, as compared to 45% for the Social Democrats. Comentators believe that, against the background of the current acute divergencies among the Social democrats, the Liberals stand good chances to return to the forefront of the domestic political arena. Attending the Liberal Congress was also the secretary general of the European Peoples Party, Antonio Lopez Isturiz White. For a long time affiliated to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe, the National Liberal Party switched to the EPP in 2014. On Sunday, the Liberal Partys National coordination Council convenes to hold elections for 36 leading positions, for which over 100 party members are competing.

HELMUT KOHL – President Klaus Iohannis sent condolences to his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the death of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The head of the Romanian state paid tribute to “a great statesman and European leader and a source of inspiration for his handling of the challenges posed by the Cold War and the fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Iohannis added that Kohl was a close friend of Romania, having contributed to the success of the current Romanian-German relations. In turn, Emil Constantinescu, president of Romania in 1996 to 2000, said Helmut Kohl would be remembered in the history of Europe for his contribution to the remodelling of NATO and the EU in keeping with the great challenge represented by the end of the Cold War and its ultimate symbol, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Helmut Kohl died on Friday at the age of 87. Politicians from around the world have praised the outstanding European leader.

CELEBRATION – The PM of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, accompanied by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, took part in Sibiu on Saturday in the celebration of 10 years since this Romanian city and Luxembourg were together European Capitals of Culture. A member of the German community in Romania, the descendants of the Saxon colonists coming to Transylvania in the Middle Ages, President Iohannis was the Mayor of Sibiu in 2007, when Romania joined the EU, and his city was a European capital of Culture together with Luxembourg. The partnership between Sibiu and Luxembourg remains an example of what the European spirit is all about, Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday, and voiced hope that the borders that may build walls between Europeans would be replaced by bridges of culture, freedom and tolerance. Also on Saturday, the two officials attended the opening of an honorary consular office of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Sibiu.

FRENCH ELECTION – France is holding the second round of legislative elections on Sunday, under the restrictions of the state of emergency following the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015. The newly elected president Emmanuel Macron is seeking to secure a parliamentary majority to support the programme on which he won the presidential ballot last month. With over 32% of the votes in the first round, held last Sunday, Macrons Republique en Marche movement is expected to win between 400 and 445 seats out of the total 577 in the French Parliament.

FENCING – Romanias womens epee team won the bronze on Saturday in the European Fencing Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, after beating Estonia 45-38. Romania also won the bronze in last years edition of the competition, held in Torun, Poland. Romanias participation in the Tbilisi championships thus ends with 2 bronze medals, the first of them won on Monday by Bianca Pascu, in the individual sabre event.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)