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| THE WEEK IN REVIEW (21-27.05.2007) |
| (2007-05-25) |
| Last updated: 2007-06-04 15:34 EET |
This week, suspended president Traian Basescu has resumed his prerogatives as Romania's head of state after the Constitutional Court validated the results of the May 19 referendum. Almost two thirds of the Romanians who turned out on polling day voted against Basescu's impeachment. He had been suspended by parliament on charges of abuse of power, despite the Constitutional Court offering a negative opinion regarding the president's impeachment. The result of the referendum has seriously shaken opposition to Basescu, who are now trying to work out solutions to the political crisis. Political analyst Crisitian Parvulescu:
“We have a president reconfirmed by the vote of the people, who wants a ruling majority. Given the current make-up of parliament he unfortunately won’t find parties to acknowledged him as their leader - neither the Social Democratic Party nor the National Liberal Party, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania or the Greater Romania Party. Basescu can only rely on one party, the Democratic Party, and perhaps on the Liberal Democratic Party. The PD is credited with only 20% of the vote, and have a long way to go to obtain the required 50%”.
The National Liberal Party has decided to stay in the governing coalition although the party organisation in Bucharest has called for the party to join the opposition. The Social Democratic Party is still tempted by the idea of power but opinion polls show that its support has been considerably eroded, and the prospect of early elections doesn’t look bright. The Conservatives, who pulled out from the government itself but circumstantially offered support for the minority government, are considering withdrawing parliamentary support for PM Tariceanu. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (part of the government coalition) and the populist Greater Romania Party (in opposition) have not yet decided on what to do next. On the other side of the barricade, the Democratic Party, riding high after its former leader' s tremendous victory, is now trying to form a centre-right coalition, together with the Liberal Democratic Party (a splinter group from the National Liberal Party) that supported president Basescu. The Democrats invoke the need for early elections, an idea also supported by the head of state. Basescu has decided to make the first step and invited the parliamentary parties to negotiations next week. He promised to pump fresh blood into the Romanian political class, to change the electoral law, revise the Constitution and make a new parliamentary majority.
An incident that took place in a supermarket in Bucharest between president Basescu and a reporter from a commercial TV station has become the preferred topic for many television talk shows. Basescu was caught on tape using the expression “stinking gypsy” in a private talk with his wife, accidentally recorded on equipment previously snatched from the report's hands. Basescu has caused indignation among Rroma community representatives and incurred the disapproval of several media organisations and NGOs. Although the president has apologised for his words, the Romanian Press Club are filing a complaint against him. The International Federation of Journalists accused president Basescu of “abusive and extremely offensive conduct”. The National Council for Combating Discrimination in Romania has sanctioned the president with a public warning and asked him to promote the principles of equal opportunities and non-discriminatory language. Basescu has announced he will attack the Council's decision in court, considering it unacceptable that a private talk with his wife has become the subject of analysis by a state institution.
The modifications of the Romanian legislation regarding the first registration fee of vehicles should be adopted during the current parliamentary session. Representatives of the Romanian Economy and Finance Ministry and of the European Commission on Tuesday announced that this should take place by the end of June. They have talked about the new regulations based on which this fee will be established. According to the calculation formula, the fee is expected to decrease with the age of the car. Previously Brussels had said Bucharest violated the community provisions, the fee being discriminatory in the case of second-hand cars imported from other EU countries.
The football team Dinamo Bucharest has dominated the 2006-2007 season of the first Romanian football league, that has come to an end this week. Dinamo have ended the championship 6 points ahead of the team following them in second place: Steaua Bucharest. The two teams from Bucharest will enter the Champions League preliminaries – Steaua being the top team in the second round and Dinamo in the last preliminary round. CFR Cluj, an ambitious team, was ranked third, allowing for its participation in the UEFA Cup for the first time.
Several people have died following the extreme weather that affected Romania this week. While the south and east of the country have been hit by scorching temperatures and drought during May, other regions have been ravaged by storms and floods. The crops and orchards that escaped the drought have been hit by hail-storms, making the situation even worse for agriculture. Wind storms have left tens of localities without electricity, destroyed roofs, uprooted trees and damages cars. Weather forecasts warn that the inclement weather will last until the end of the week.
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2025-04-03
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