Tuesday, January 29, 2008
* NEWS *
EDITORIAL
Seeds of wrath – Sorin Rosca Stanescu – Ziua – read here -
“Article 108 in the Constitution emphasizes the idea: "It is only the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate and the President of Romania who have got the right to ask for suspension". As you can easily notice, the vice emerging in Article 69 is amplified by the ambiguous phrasing in Article 108. Mind you the words "only" and "and". The Constitutional Court has got no solution, simply because it must only interpret the Constitution. It may modify neither the text nor the meaning of the fundamental law, no matter how unclear it may be. The only solution is to change the Constitution. A referendum will take place anyway. And the lawmakers will have to rephrase the article on the circumstances under which there may be criminal investigations against officials, whether MPs or not. The Chambers should get together and plead for equal treatment for deputies and senators. As for ministers who are not MPs, it should remain the President's privilege, unless Romania takes up the parliamentary republic system, which would be no bad at all, and drops this half-presidential hybrid. And there is one more hypothesis to settle: what if one of the murderers is a common citizen ? He/ She must obey the same treatment, but no harsher one, during the criminal investigations and also in terms of deprivation of freedom”.POLITICS
President Basescu on duty in Belgrade – G.S. – Ziua – read here -“The President of Romania Traian Basescu set out for Belgrade today for an unannounced visit. It is actually part of the second tour in the Serbian presidential elections, due in February 3. Traian Basescu's mission is to persuade the pro-West adepts into supporting Boris Tadic in the second tour and prove solidarity against the pro-Russia Tomislav Nikolici, who expressed opposition to Serbia's European integration. As the Americans want to be out of Kosovo and they have proceeded to major staff and budget cuts in the Serbian province, Washington is hopeful the Romanian President will accomplish mission. (...)“.
Citroen brotherhood – D.A. – Ziua – read here -“The company, an importer of the Citroen, owned by the Romanian PM Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, also a leader of the National Liberal Party in Romania, is the main beneficiary of the public-private partnership on a property situated in the very center of Bucharest. The PM signed an emergency ordinance in disfavor of the Romanian state, but in favor of Sorin Creteanu. In exchange for it, the latter businessman is building a showroom meant for the Citroen, to be located on DN 1 (main highway to Bucharest). This piece of land is the property of real estate magnate Puiu Popoviciu. It is only minister Tudor Chiuariu and minister Zsot Nagy who are growing criminal, since PM Tariceanu and the Romanian finance minister Varujan Vosganian haven't been disturbed by the National Anti-Corruption Department”.
LATEST
Nicolas Sarkozy to talk to Romanian MPs – T.B. – Ziua – read here -“The President of France Nicolas Sarkozy is to pay an official visit to Bucharest early next week. Bogdan Olteanu, the Liberal chair of the Chamber of Deputies in the Romanian Parliament, announced it yesterday”.