June 4, 2018

Andrei Nastase has been elected mayor of Chisinau; Romanian deputies debate a motion to dismiss the finance minister

România Internațional, 04.06.2018, 13:50

CHISINAU – Andrei Nastase, chair of the Platform for Dignity and Truth Party, a pro-European party outside Parliament, got 53% of votes in the second round of elections for mayor of Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova. The Socialist pro-Russian candidate, Ion Ceban, conceded defeat and congratulated Nastase for his victory.

MOTION – Debates continue in Parliament in Bucharest after a simple motion was filed by the Liberals in the opposition against Minister of Finance Eugen Teodorovici. The chair of the Liberal caucus, Raluca Turcan, said that the minister is responsible for the destruction of the country’s economic credibility, and for initiating a plan for the Social Democratic elite, the leadership of the majority party, to be financed from the second pillar of pension funds, which is the private part of pension plans. Also today, the special committee appointed to debate proposed judicial reform on Wednesday will vote on proposed amendments to the Civil Procedural Code. The head of the committee, Social Democrat Florin Iordache, specified that the bill will pass the Chamber of Deputies. Among the changes proposed are eliminating the obligation of legal council being provided for citizens filing for appeals.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis star Simona Halep, number one in the world, has today defeated Elise Mertens, 16th seeded, 6-2, 6-1, in the eighth finals in Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year. Simona defeated Elise 6-0, 6-3 in Madrid in 2018, but the Belgian player was injured at the time. Both players have gathered an excellent record this season: Halep had 10 wins against 3 defeats, while Martens lost only one of 15 games. In the doubles today, Mihaela Buzarnescu and Irina Maria Bara, both from Romania, defeated Americans Jennifer Brady and Vania King, 6-4, 6-3, qualifying for the quarter finals.

RADIO – 57 radio theater productions from 23 countries are taking part in the 6th edition of the Grand Prix Nova International Radio Theater Festival. The auditions and workshops run until June 9th, while the plays are structured into three sections: drama, short form, and binaural. The Grand Prix Nova Festival is organized by Radio Romania, and encourages experimentation in radio. This edition is once again under the high patronage of the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Princess Margaret.

SENTENCE – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest debates on Monday

the last item in the case against former minister of transportation and former senator Dan Sova, a case in which he has already been sentenced for influence peddling. He was indicted by anti-corruption prosecutors and sentenced to three years in jail for accepting a bribe worth 100,000 Euro. The money was meant to secure a contract for legal assistance. In another corruption case, the High Court last month acquitted Sova and former PM Victor Ponta. Sova has previously also been accused of tax evasion and money laundering.

HANDBALL – Romania’s national women’s handball team won Group 4 in the preliminaries of this year’s European Championships, defeating in Buzau 32-28 the national team from Portugal. Romania got 10 points, followed by Russia, with 8 points, Austria, 6 points, and Portugal, no points. Romania is now favorite in the selection for the final groups, in a competition hosted by France.