September 1-5 2020

A failed censure motion
The Liberal government in Bucharest survived without trepidation on Monday the attempt by the Social Democrats to dismiss it by censure motion. The main opposition party did not manage to gather a quorum, namely 233 MPs, meaning half plus one senators and deputies. Only 226 MPs showed up. The National Liberals and their allies announced they would boycott the vote, and the session collapsed after the Hungarian Union, the UDMR, announced they would not participate. In addition, a number of Social Democratic members and members in their allied parties were no-shows. Marcel Ciolacu, chairman of the Social Democratic Party and speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, announced he would dismiss from the party the members who missed the vote. PM Ludovic Orban said that the failed motion was an extremely beneficial moment for Romania, because his government had to face pressing challenges, and needed to have freedom of action.

Campaign with face masks
The election campaign continues for the local elections slated for September 27, with the challenge of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus. According to the Ministry of the Interior, face masks are compulsory, and anyone attending events or gatherings have to be screened, and have to disinfect their hands. The rules for individual protection and access have to be posted and be visible at all times. A safety distance of at least one meter has to be observed, and indoor events cannot be attended by more than 50 people, and cannot run more than two hours. For outdoor events, organizers have to ensure that no more than 100 people attend at any given time. This round of elections is to put in office 41 chairmen of county councils, about 3,200 mayors, over 1,300 county counselors, and over 40,000 local counselors. The election was initially scheduled for June, but was postponed because of the pandemic, and local officials had their terms extended by half a year.

COVID and relaxation
In Romania, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and theaters reopened on September 1. Upon the recommendation of the National Committee for Emergency Situations, clubs and bars stay closed, and the re-opened units have to observe strict safety measures. Theaters and cinemas, as well as other similar venues, can fill only a maximum of half their seats. The number of people allowed at indoor private events, workshops, or training courses went up from 20 to 50, while no more than 100 people are allowed at outdoor events.

The repression in Minsk as seen from Bucharest
The Romanian Senate on Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of a declaration of solidarity with the Belarus people, calling for a stop to violence against peaceful protests, pleading for a 'more articulate reaction' on the part of the international community, in case the situation does not improve. Senators are calling on the authorities in Minsk to respect the right of citizens to public assembly, to abstain from illegal or excessive use of force, and to free those unjustly detained, as well as to initiate an authentic and substantial political dialog with civil society. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu called on political detainees to be freed, along with the thousands that had been arrested in Belarus. He underlined the need for a firm and coherent European policy in relation with the Russian Federation, which supports President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, seen by many as the last dictator in Europe. Previously, Minister Aurescu announced that Romania had earmarked one hundred thousand Euro for civil society and independent journalists in Belarus, calling once again for those guilty of abuses in the ex-Soviet state to be punished. The actions of the authorities in Minsk cannot be left without an adequate response from the EU, the head diplomat in Bucharest concluded.

Romanian Language Day
On August 31, coordinated cultural manifestations were held in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and diaspora communities, celebrating Romanian Language Day. President Klaus Iohannis said that 'our language defines our identity and culture, it shapes, and inspires us'. He lauded the efforts made by Romanian language teachers outside the country, who bestow upon the younger generations the heritage of the past, helping them define themselves culturally and spiritually. Romanian Language Day was declared in 2013 by the Parliament in Bucharest to superimpose with the similar event in Moldova, as an homage to the movement of national revival in the neighboring country, with a majority Romanian speaking population. On August 31, 1989, 750,000 people, around a sixth of the population of the republic, picketed Parliament in Chisinau, forcing them to declare Romanian the state language, as well as to switch to the Latin alphabet instead of the Cyrillic alphabet imposed by the occupiers after the annexation of 1940.