Romania’s ethnic Hungarian party against territorial reform
Romania’s governing Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians (UDMR) is not expected to support an administrative-territorial reform that would change ethnic proportions while neglecting the public services, UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor said in an interview to Hungarian press quoted by Hungary’s MTI agency on Thursday. Small villages cannot just disappear as long as their geographical characteristics are not taken into account, he said. On the other hand, UDMR may hold talks with other government ministers about an administration reform expected to include fewer councilors in smaller towns or villages, and a transfer of such services as the public procurement. Mr. Kelemen’s statement comes after Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the governing Social Democrat Party (PSD), announced such moves which would also include a merger of counties and communities where population accounted for less than 3,000 people.
An appeal of presidential candidate Călin Georgescu under debate at Romania’s ICCJ
Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice is expected to debate on Thursday an appeal put forward by Călin Georgescu, a former presidential candidate, who contested a previous ruling concerning the cancelation of the first round of the country’s presidential elections on November 24, 2024. Mr. Georgescu and a Coalition for the Defence of the State of Law rejected the ruling while taking the country’s Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), other state institutions, current Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and former presidential candidate Elena Lasconi to court. An appeal court in Bucharest rejected a previous complaint by Mr. Georgescu on December 31.
Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru awarded an ICMA prize
The musical album Geroge Enescu – Symphonies 1-3 / Romanian Rhapsodies 1-2 with Orchestre National de France conducted by Cristian Măcelaru is the winner of Classical Music Awards for Symphonic Music – one of the most prestigious international prizes in the field. Enescu’s works are performed by Mr. Măcelaru conducting l’Orchestre National de France. The winning record is produced by the Deutsche Grammophon, and includes a concert at the Auditorium Radio France – Maison de la Radio et de la Musique de la Societé Nationale de Radiodiffusion organised in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute. An award ceremony is scheduled at the Tonhalle in Dusseldorf, Germany on March 19, 2025.
Alexandru Danga
