Romania has established five road corridors for all cargo transports passing through the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications makes available to all road haulage operators in the EU or Non-EU Member States an interactive map of transit routes in Romania. This map, in addition to the actual route, also contains information on fuel stations and parking lots for those in transit.
A Romanian citizen aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship which as been quarantined in japan has been found infected with the coronavirus, Romania's Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday. 17 Romanians are among the 3,700 passangers and crew aboard the ship.
A large number of Romanian journalists and several media institutions this week reacted with a rare display of solidarity against something they saw as a threat to their profession: an income tax exemption voted for them by deputies. As the President is expected to approve the bill, a wave of protests, letters and positions have been heard on the issue.
The European Commission on Wednesday decided to warn Romania to take urgent action in order to stop illegal logging. it sent a letter of formal notice to Romania to take the necessary measures in this within a month - a first step in the infringement procedure.
A third worker from Sri Lanka has arrived in the Romanian villgage of Ditrau, where in a racist outburst the local population recently protested against the presence of two other Sri Lankan workers.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday designated Liberal (PNL) leader Ludovic Orban to lead a new government again, a day after Orban's government lost a censure motion in the Parliament.
Romanian authorities have declared a flu epidemic for the second year in a row, given that the number of sick people reported during the past week grew by 99% - double the expected figure.
The Romanian Parliament on Wednesday dismissed the Liberal government led by Ludovic Orban in a censure motion tabled by the opposition Social Democrats. The government falls 3 months and 1 day after taking office. This is the second Romanian government to fall in a censure motion in less than half a year.
- Shortly after the vote, PM Orban said his government was proud of what it accomplished in just several months and that if fell to a Parliament dominated by "retrograde forces". He later said Romanians would be called "as early as possible" to polls to decide the fate of the country.
Romania's Liberal (PNL) government led by Ludovic Orban faces the parliament vote over a censure motion submitted by the opposition Social Democrats (PSD) on Wednesday, with both camps claiming they would win. The motion can lead to the dismissal of the PNL government only three months after taking over from the previous PSD government, which also fell in a censure motion.
Romanian authorities would be able to use national security reasons to refuse the ceding and execution of exploration, exploitation and development operations of oil fields by entities under the authority of countries outside the EU, a draft emergency ordinance of the Romanian government says. The bill says any transfer made without the approval of the Government is null.
Draft lectislation aimed at dismantling a special body in charge with investigating magistrates was concluded and published on the website of Romania's Justice Ministry on Tuesday. The bill was criticised by experts shortly after its publication, as they warn it provides a "super-immunity" to magistrates.
The Speaker of Romanian Senate Teodor Melescanu resigned on Monday, two weeks after the Constitutional Court decided his naming in the position was against the rules. The news comes as the Social Democrats - who held government until last fall and who had supported Melescanu - also lost their majority in the Senate.
- UPDATE: PSD regained its majority shortly as an MP announced his joining the party
A recent case of racial discrimination against Sri Lankan workers in Romania, which made waves over the past week, is far from being the first, a representative of a recruitment company has told HotNews.ro.
A former speaker of Romania's House of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea, received a three-year prison sentence for traffic of influence on Monday. The verdict can pe appealed.
Romania's governing National Liberal Party (PNL) would receive the vote of 47.4% of Romanians, should general elections take place next Sunday, according to a new poll. THe study, ordered by pollster IMAS for Europa FM radio channel, shows a boost of up to 2 percentage points from the month of December.
A censure motion tabled by the opposition Social Democrats (PSD) against the Liberal (PNL) government of Ludovic Orban is to be read in Parliament on Monday, with a vote due to take place later. The motion is key to how the government would evolve in an election year, considering growing pressure in favor of early general elections.
- UPDATE The procedure went on and the censure was read before the Parliament on Monday afternoon. See what changed
Two workers from Sri Lanka who have become the target of protests in a Central Romanian town were eventually removed on Saturday from the production process at the bread factory where they were working. The situation, prompted by a wave of xenophobic attitudes among the local population in the town of Ditrau, sparked both actions by authorities, interventions by influential religious and political bodies, and talk of Romanian state's lack of action and malign influence from the Orban regime in Hungary.
Britain's exit from the European Union will have a small effect on the Romanian economy, as the UK is the Eastern European country's ninth biggest trade partner and came last among the ten biggest foreign direct investors in the country in 2018, according to an analysis by KeysFin consulting company, quoted by Startupcafe.ro.
Romania's Economy minister Virgil Popescu said in an interview with HotNews.ro on Thursday that works was underway for the listing of major energy company Hidroelectrica. He said his government wanted to list it on the exchange this year.
Some 200 people in the Central Romania town of Ditrau convened before the town hall on Wednesday displeased that the bread factory in their town employed two workers from Sri Lanka. Protesters claimed they feared their settlement might become the target of a "wave of migrants" who would force in their culture and threaten the safety of villagers, news agency Agerpres reported.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 on Richter scale occurred in Romania at 3.26 a.m. on Friday, according to the European earthquake center EMSC. The quake was registered in the county of Vrancea, Eastern Romania, with a depth of 121 km.
The Economy minister of Romania's Liberal government Virgil Popescu said in an interview with HotNews.ro on Thursday that PM Ludovic Orban was right when he urged a reconsideration of working with the Chinese on projects too build two reactors at the nuclear power plant of Cernavoda. Popescu said he considered it normal to develop such strategic investments with NATO partners. In the interview, he also discussed his position on energy issues from the listing of Hidroelectrica shares to Black Sea gas.
The Liberal government led by Ludovic Orban is to take responsibility before the Parliament on Wednesday for key changes to how local elections are organised. Once the procedure is over, the opposition Social Democrats have three days available to submit a censure motion, as they have announced.
The head of Romania's Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) has met Russian Ambassador to Bucharest to discuss "collaboration" in developing electoral processes and best practice exchanges, the two parties announced. The AEP head is the last major official still in office in Romania from among those named during the regime of Liviu Dragnea, the former strongman of the Social Democrats (PSD).
Romania's House of Deputies adopted on Tuesday a bill removing the existing special pensions given to judges, prosecutors, members of the Parliament, auxiliary court personnel and other key categories of state and public sector employees. Deputies voted to keep special pensions for military and the police.
A patient from the Eastern Romanian city of Bacau, who has been transferred to a Bucharest institute for contagious diseases to be monitored for the new Chinese coronavirus, in fact has flu, the Health Ministry announced on Monday morning.
Romania's Finance minister Florin Citu says Romania's goal to enter the "Euro waiting room" in 2024 was an "ambitious one". But he said, in an interview with Digi24 news channel on Monday evening, that "not joining the Euro zone is not an option for Romania".
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said the idea of an equal fiscal treatment is "essentially true" but that the IT sector, where income taxes are subject to exemption, has grown from "something insignificant to 6% of the GDP".
Romanian experts and officials held talks on Monday on the risks Romania faces related to the new coronavirus outbreak in China. While the virus is seen as a public health emergency despite the WHO not yet declaring it as such, a top hospital official says the risk that this virus reaching Romania is low.
Romania's Foreign Ministry has called for the Ukrainian Ambassador to Bucharest to clarify statements made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in which he referred to the region of Northern Bucovina being occupied by the Romanians.
- UPDATE The word "taken" was later used in the statement, instead of occupied. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Bucharest said in a Facebook post that the use of the word "occupied" was a translation error and that "taken should have been used" - a situation he regretted.
Romania's Justice minister Catalin Predoiu on Tuesday made three key nominations for the top job at key prosecutor's offices - the Prosecutor General, the head of the National Anti-corruption Department (DNA) and the key office dealing with organised crime and terrorism, DIICOT.
Romanian Liberal PM Ludovic Orban, who is forced to govern without a clear majority in a Parliament dominated by Social Democrats, is moving towards early elections. He said on Friday he and President Klaus Iohannis have convened to organise early elections, which both see as the best solution for Romania.
The president of an educational group in Romania was retained at his home on Tuesday morning based on an extradition request from the authorities of the Erdogan regime. Fatih Gursoy, the Turkish-origin head of the Lumina educational group, is due to hear a decision of Romanian judges on the extradition request, according to a Lumina press release.
- UPDATE Romanian judges decided later on Tuesday to reject the extradition request.
The Romanian business people known as the Micula Brothers, who have won a case against Romania at the International Court of Arbitration, have withdrawn the distraint applied to air traffic authority Romatsa as part of their efforts to recover the debt the Romanian state holds towards them. The announcement was made by PM Ludovic Orban in statements for HotNews.ro on Tuesday.
The EU Court has rejected a court action by Romania's former leader Liviu Dragnea, now in jail, by which he attempt to obtained the annulment of the prison sentence in a corruption case, according to news agency Mediafax.
de Editorial Staff HotNews.ro
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday that PM Ludovic Orban - head of the Liberal party that supported him in the recent presidential elections - would keep office for a long while, even in the case of early elections.
Some 424 towns across Romania have no family doctor and 1,098 towns have not enough family doctors for their population, the national federation of family doctors has announced.
Romania's government has decided to expand the Christmas and New Year holidays for state employees so that they include the dates of December 27 and January 3. The decision was announced on Friday morning.
A teacher of Turkish origin teaching English at a Bucharest high school was retained by Romanian police based on an extradition warrant issued by the Turkish authorities, the high school announced in a press release. An extradition is only possible, however, if a Romanian judge approves it.
- UPDATE The Bucharest Court of Appeals rejected the extradition of the Turkish teacher later on Wednesday.
Romanian oil major OMV Petrom eyes the takeover of the stake held by OMV Offshore Bulgaria GmbH in the Han Asparuh exploration field in Bulgaria, by buying the stake from OMV Exploration&Production GmbH. THe company says certain conditions have to be met before the conclusion of the deal, which is expected to take place before mid-2020.
Romania's Finance Ministry published the budget bill for 2020 on Tuesday. It is based on prospects of 4.1% economic growth with an average yearly growth of 4.1% for 2021-2023, considerably higher than European averages.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Tuesday he planned to "promote" Radu Ioanid, the manager of the archives division at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, as Ambassador to Israel.
The new US Ambassador to Bucharest Adrian Zuckerman takes over his office officially on Tuesday when he will be received by President Klaus Iohannis to submit his letter of credence. Zuckerman, a lawyer of Romanian origin, is fluent in Romanian.
The Liberal Government would take responsibility before the Parliament for the 2020 budget law, in a procedure expected to take place on December 23, according to Liberal sources. This comes as PM Ludovic Orban had said the government would pick this option in case the budget bill risked postponement.
- UPDATE PM Orban announced officially on Monday afternoon that indeed his Government would take responsibility for the budget bill before the Parliament on December 23.
A former mayor and the owners of Bucharest night club Colectiv were sentenced to prison on Monday in the case of the Colectiv fire disaster in 2015, in which dozens revelers died and hundreds of others suffered injuries. These are the first sentences in the case, which was mainly linked to widespread corruption.
The day marking 30 years since the Romanian revolution against dictator Nicolae Ceausescu started, the European Parliament debates in Strasbourg on Monday a resolution on the event that changed the fate of Romania. It is the first official standing of the European institution on the topic of Romania's revolution. In Bucharest, the Parliament also convenes in a solemn session to be attended by President Klaus Iohannis.
A former head of an intelligence department of Romania's Interior Ministry, his partner and a British citizens have been retained for 30 days in a drug trafficking case, judicial sources have told news agency Mediafax. Gelu Oltean, former head of DIPI, a section that used to answer to the Ministry before its restructuring several years ago, is also facing a separate inquiry by anti-graft prosecutors.
The head of an NGO with strong ties to state structures, who also ran in Romania's presidential elections this year, has been placed under inquiry by anti-corruption prosecutors (DNA) over alleged lies in his resume, which amounts to fraud, judicial sources told news agency Mediafax.
Liberal PM Ludovic Orban, who has taken over from the Social Democratic government last month, announced in a blitz government session on Friday morning that a new budget correction would be applied on Monday. It is aimed to refuel the reserve fund of the government for payments to local authorities.
An inquiry into an alleged bribery case affecting several MPs of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) expanded on Friday with hearings involving former ministers of the same party, including ex-deputy PM Mihai Fifor.
Romania's new Liberal government led by Ludovic Orban has adopted a fiscal and budget strategy for 2020-2022, accompanying the state budget for next year. Here are key points of the strategy.
A Hunedoara, Romania-based plant controlled by ArcelorMittal has threatened to suspend production as a reaction to market conditions and high energy prices. The threat came a day after Romanian PM Ludovic Orban himself also talked about state assistance that should be given to siderurgic and petrochemical companies because of high energy and natural gas prices. But official figures are different than those circulated by the PM and ArcelorMittal.
What happens to Ukraine now is a projection of Russia over the former Socialist regions, a return to the sphere of influence that the Soviet Union used to have, Ukrainian Ambassador to Romania Oleksandr Bankov has said in an interview with HotNews.ro.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis caused a stir this week with a decision to strip top personalities who have received prison sentences of their state honours. This comes after one of these personalities, in his capacity of recipient of a state order, showed up at a reception thrown by the Presidency for the National Day on December 1.
Romania's Parliament has adopted a bill allowing for the acquisition of five more F16 figher planes from Portugal. The planes are due to go through a modernising process by the US. The planes would then join the other 12 F16s owned by Romanian Air Forces and all would go trough an upgrading process, most probably at the Aerostar Bacau plant.
S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlook on Romania from stable to negative due to rising fiscal and external deficits, while affirming its long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings at 'BBB-/A-3'. It pointed to planned wage and pension increases largely decided by the previous Social Democratic government as contributor to widening the country's current account deficit.
FintechOS announced today that it has raised a 14 milion USD 14M Series A round to continue its hyper accelerated growth and further development of the platform, StartupCafe.ro reports.
Romania's Liberal government is to discuss in a session on Tuesday a series of key projects for which it plans to take responsibility before the parliament - measures it describes as necessary to mend the harm done by the previous Social Democratic (PSD) majority.
Romania's first post-Communist President Ion Iliescu, who hasn't showed up in public for two and a half years, has given an interview to Russian state-controlled agency TASS in which he spoke, among other things, of the importance of more normal relations between the two countries, Romanian news channel Digi24 reports.
With many months still to go until local elections take place in Romania, struggles have emerged within a key opposition alliance as preparations start for the Bucharest polls. The announcement of a maverick candidate for Bucharest mayor this weekend promises to reveal the capacity - or incapacity - of the opposition USR-PLUS alliance to really produce change.
- UPDATE The USR-PLUS alliance announced later on Monday that it would have common candidates for all city halls across the country. It said a timetable for candidate selection would be decided within weeks. For Bucharest, it said it would pick one between Vlad Voiculescu (PLUS) and Nicusor Dan (independent candidate supported by USR Bucharest).
The Finance minister of Romania's new Liberal government on Monday accused his predecessor and the prime minister of the previous Social Democratic government of knowing well in advance and hiding prospects of a 4% deficit. "It was all premeditated, they put their personal interest above the interest of Romania," minister Florin Citu said.
The Romanian government is considering a possible ban on log exports to countries outside of the EU, Environment minister Costel Alexe has told news channel Digi24. His statement comes after President Klaus Iohannis was quoted on Thursday as saying he was woried about the proportions of wood cutting in Romania, half of which is done illegally.
Official figures on air pollution in Bucharest, as announced by the official system monitoring air quality, show that pollution limits in Romania's capital city have been exceeded for 2018, according to news agency Mediafax. It quotes a Greenpeace Romania warning that the monitoring system does not work properly despite authorities knowing about setbacks.
Romania's government would push for a re-consideration of categories of classified information regarding mineral, oil and gas resources. This comes at the request of investors in these sectors, which was made during working sessions with representatives of the government, a top government official said on Thursday.
New, Liberal Romanian PM Ludovic Orban claimed on Thursday he was a "simple man" with an "austere" living to explain how he managed to live on little more than 3,000 lei (some 650 euro ) per month last year, while his wife did not state any income at all. He made the statement after the figures appeared in the wealth statement he has submitted.
A prosecutor who has failed for seven times to become head of a controversial new body aimed at policing the judiciary has withdrawn from the procedure to be nominated in that position. Prosecutor Alina Florea, who has faced fiece opposition, thus appears out of contention as head of the controversial Section charged with investigating Justice Crimes.
Dozens of people armed with plastic basins showed up before the Bucharest city hall on Thurday, to protest the massive fails in heating and hot water distribution which has affected the Romanian capital city for months.
A draft bill to repel a law on compensatory appeal, which has allowed for the release of thousands of inmates before time, was voted by Romanian deputies on Wednesday.
The business people of Romanian origin known as the Micula brothers and their companies have managed to set a distraint on 67 million shares held by the Romanian state in major energy company Nuclearelectrica. This comes as coverage for a debt amounting to Eur 395 million the Romanian state has to pay the Miculas.
Some 15 people are suspect of having engaged in sexual acts with their own children and and providing the resulting footage to American citizens through an online application. Prosecutors from Romania's key body dealing with organised crime DIICOT raided locations in Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov, Galati, Ialomita, Olt, Prahova and Iasi and confiscated telecom and data storage units.
A little over 50% of Romanian pupils are able to use knowledge accumulated in school in their everyday lives, as shown in resuts of PISA 2018 tests published on Tuesday. In this edition of the tests, Romania scored even poorer results than in testing made in 2015 and 2018 in the program aimed at checking the capacity of pupils to adapt their knowledge to their social and economic lives.
de Editorial Staff HotNews.ro
Romania's new Liberal Government has approved a draft budget correction with Finance minister Florin Citu announcing that it has set a budget deficit of 4.4% for the year. Two days ago, the deficit had been set to 4.3%, but supplementary changes to cover late payments in education and health have been made.
The leadership of Romania's biggest party, the Social Democrats (PSD), was dissolved late on Tuesday and an interim leader is taking over, sources told HotNews.ro as PSD bosses met in a special session. The news was later confirmed officially.
Russian Ambassador to Bucharest Velery Kuzmin was summoned urgently to the Romanian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday over a recent, unprecedented attack on the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Margareta of Romania, official sources have told HotNews.ro.
- UPDATE In a statement later on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said that it has pointed that the position of the Russian diplomatic mission was unacceptable.
The budget deficit of Romania may go up to 4.3% by the end of the year, according to a draft correction published by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday. It confirmed a previous HotNews.ro report on Monday that said the deficit for the year would stay between 4.1-4.3%.
The leader of Romania's biggest party, Viorica Dancila of the Social Democrats (PSD), has reportedly been persuaded to resign as party president after her defeat in presidential elections on Sunday, sources told HotNews.ro on Monday afternoon.
Camps are shaping up in a battle for power within Romania's biggest political party, the Social Democrats (PSD), in wake of the defeat suffered by their candidate, party president and ex-PM, in presidential elections on Sunday. In statements made on Monday morning, an influential member of the PSD leadership openly invoked the need of a resignation.
The president of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon has congratulated Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis over his re-election in a presidential poll on Sunday. He used a Facebook message to convey that the two countries should "stay away from false geopolitical debates".
The custom of the biggest political party in post-Communist Romania, the Social Democrats -PSD, long seen as inheritors of the former Communists - is to remove their leader following a defeat in presidential elections. On Sunday night, as PSD's candidate Viorica Dancila suffered a significant defeat against incumbent, Liberal president Klaus Iohannis in presidential elections, knives were sharpening again within the party.
Incumbent president Klaus Iohannis received 66.05% of the votes in the presidential elections on Sunday while his rival, Social Democratic (PSD) leader Viorica Dancila got 33.95% of the votes, according to provisional data based on results from 99.86% of polling stations showed early on Monday.
Incumbent president Klaus Iohannis defeated rival Viorica Dancila with a score of 64.8% to 35.2% in the second round of presidential elections on Sunday, according to an exit poll by polling institutes CURS-Avangarde. Another poll by IRES institute showed a score of 66.5%-33.5% in favor of Iohannis. It was a smashing victory for the man who ran for a second term in office, as Romanians showed up at polling stations in larger numbers than in the first round of elections to vote in what was seen a popular rebuke to Dancila's Social Democratic government of recent years.
The winner of Romania's presidential elections on Sunday, incumbent president Klaus Iohannis said as exit polls were announced that his victory was "the most important one against the [Social Democratic Party] PSD" and a victory of "normal Romania". For her part, loser Viorica Dancila of the PSD noted he appeared to have won more votes than her party in the European elections earlier this year.
Romanians vote for their president this weekend in elections that pitch incumbent president Klaus Iohannis against ex-prime minister Viorica Dancila. While Iohannis seen as a clear favorite, the vote has major symbolic significance: at the end of a largely uneventful, dull campaign, it would test how strong Dancila's Social Democrats, blamed for a long series of abuses against the rule of law, remain after being removed from government this fall.
Some 38.6 million cubic meters of wood is cut in Romania annually - almost double the official figures, with the difference resulting from illegal deforestation mostly in privately owned forests. As he presented the figures on Friday, Environment minister Costel Alexe described them as shocking.
Huawei Vice-President Catherine Chen hopes Romania would not align to the US position on banning the access of the Asian giant to building 5G networks in Romania, but would act based on facts, tests and risk assessments. The way that, she says, is pursued in countries like Britain, France or Germany or by the European Commission.
News that Exxon Mobil is planning to sell up to USD 25 billion of oil and gas field across the world to focus on mega-projects, as reported by Reuters on Thursday, contrasts, when in comes to Romania, whith statements made by incumbent president Klaus Iohannis in an electoral debate earlier this week.
The US Senate voted on Wednesday to name lawyer Adrian Zuckerman as Ambassador of the United States to Romania, news agency Mediafax reports, quoting The Washington Post. The vote was 65-30.
The deputy of the US Ambassador to Romania, Abigail Rupp, was taken off stage by the Turkish consul to the SE Romanian city of Constanta as she was preparing to hold a speech on religious freedom at an event of the local Muslim community. The Embassy said the incident was regrettable.
Dan Barna, the leader of Save Romania Union (USR), the third biggest party in the Parliament, was re-elected as head of the political group despite a serious defeat in the first round of presidential elections.
The European Commission asks Romania's Liberal (PNL) government on Wednesday to adopt measures in order to limit public spending in 2020, a year which will see both local and general elections.
The two candidates in the final round of Romania's presidential elections each held a "debate" on their own on Tuesday evening, not facing each other but only journalists to discuss everything to the influence of Chinese companies to how to compute the area of a circle - and, in this latter case, not knowing the proper answer.
- See what they said - or even what they didn't say - during their talks
Preparations were ongoing on Monday for what appears to be the most important electoral event prior to presidential elections due to take place this weekend: a debate that incumbent President and top contender Klaus Iohannis will hold on Tuesday with political experts and journalists, but in the absence of his challenger, Social Democratic leader Viorica Dancila.
Three people - a 10-day old baby, a 3-year old child and the latter's mother died and six other people, including 3 children, were hospitalised following a neurotoxin alert in a building in Timisoara, Western Romania on Monday.
A bear agonized for 18 hours this weekend, after it was hit by a car in Harghita county, Central Romania until authorities decided to intervene and put an end to its suffering. The case, which shocked the public, rose questions about the lack of action from people in charge and their not giving any sort of relevant consideration to the safety of wild animals along traffic routes.
Custom authorities in Kinshasa, Congo were notified this weekend about a case of pangolin scales trafficking, RFI has reported, quoted by Romanian news agency Agerpres. The scales were worth about EUR 1.5 million and were due to reach Romania via Istanbul.
An Interior Ministry report on violence during massive anti-government protests that took place in Bucharest on August 10 last year sheds light on key links between riot police decision makers and politicians, sources have told HotNews.ro.
A Romanian deputy caused a scandal late on Wednesday when he was stopped by the police after crossing through a red light in Bucharest, news agency Mediafax reported. Early on Thursday, the police told news channel Digi 24 that the politician did not in fact cross through the red light, despite footage apparently showing so.
The growth of Romanian economy stood at 0.6% in Q3 this year, as compared to the previous quarter. Compared to Q3 2018, the GDP gre 3.0%, while yoy growth for the first nine months of the year was of 4.0%, according to flash data of the National Statistics Institute on Thursday.
A refusal by President Klaus Iohannis to face his challenger in the second round of Romania's presidential elections has caused widespread discussion about his (non)democratic behaviour. But in a meeting with the press on Wednesday, he made the debate even more complicated by explaining he refused to discuss with and thus legitimise someone who represents an un democratic party.
Romania's former Justice minister Ana Birchall, who served in the last Social Democratic (PSD) government, was ousted from the PSD in a party leadership session on Tuesday night. The session was marked by scandal but key members appeared later to have regrouped behind PSD leader Viorica Dancila, who is due to face incumbent President Klaus Iohannis in the final round of presidential elections later this month.