Renewed efforts to put together a government in Romania
Romanian Prime Minister-designate Ludovic Orban signed political agreements with several parties in parliament expected to ensure the votes needed in his attempt to put together a PNL-led governing coalition. A vote is expected next month as hearings in parliament started on Tuesday. Further hearings in parliament are also expected on Wednesday. „We succeeded in our efforts to get the 233 votes needed. Of course, we expect further negociations as we want to ensure that number in case of unexpected absentees”, Mr Orban told Radio Romania. Mr. Orban was closing in on the numbers he needed to become prime minister, but he was not there as PNL spokesman Ionel Dancă previously told reporters the PNL secured only 225 votes.
Romanian army Chief of General Staff on reserve
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed an order on Monday putting on reserve Lieutenant General Nicolae Ionel Ciucă, an Army Chief of Staff since 2015. Prime Minister-designate Ludovic Orban nominated Mr. Ciucă for the position of defence minister in his interim cabinet. In a message on Facebook, Mr. Ciucă said the decision was at his own choice, and he never tried to get a political position as he had no political experience, however, he knew how the military system worked.
Protests of Romanian foresters
Romanian forestry trade unionists exprssed their protest in front of the House of Deputies, the lower house in Romania’s parliament. Their protest on Tuesday is organised in memory of 6 foresters killed by logging thieves in recent years. Other more than 650 foresters were savagely beaten or subject to death threats by logging thieves caught while trying to steal timber. Protesters claim the law must be changed in order to protect foresters along with the country’s forest treasures. A multi-million-dollar crime industry in which armed gangs are unafraid to attack and kill law enforcement personnel in broad daylight in a bid to steal and trade trees. Romania is home to more than half of Europe’s old growth and virgin forests – about 525,000 hectares of woodland that hosts important ecosystems for wildcats, lynx, and bears.
Alexandru Danga
