Partial Results: Ponta In Lead Of Presidential Race With 40.33%, Iohannis Scored 30.44%
Partial results of the first round of presidential elections place Victor Ponta in the lead with 40.33% of the votes and Klaus Iohannis second with 30.44%, after 98.30% of the ballots were counted.
Ponta won the ballot in 27 counties, while Iohannis won in 12 counties.
Ponta’s biggest score, 57.4%, was in Mehedinti county, the turf of social democrat Adrian Duicu, currently under criminal investigation for influence peddling.
As expected, Iohannis gained a record score of 69.84% in Sibiu county. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Preda Calls On Udrea To Resign Party Leadership And Back Iohannis In Run-Off
Elena Udrea should immediately resign from the head of the Popular Movement Party and urge her supporters to back Klaus Iohannis in the presidential election run-off, party vice-president Cristian Preda said on Facebook.
Preda qualified Udrea’s score as “disastrous”.
“I call on Elena Udrea to urgently resign from the head of the party to give PMP a chance to become part of a right-wing majority. Her credibility is null and a rational gesture would be for PMP to support Klaus Iohannis in the second round of elections,” said Preda. (Jurnalul National)
Romania Central Bank Expected To Cut Key Rate to 2,75% Tuesday
Romania’s central bank might cut the key rate to 2.75% in its Tuesday monetary policy board meeting, while keeping requirement ratio for leu deposits unchanged, according to a survey of the association of financial and banking analysts AAFBR.
At the end of September, the central bank reduced its main policy rate by 25 basis points to 3%, and the minimum requirement ratio for leu-denominated liabilities to 10% from 12%, while keeping requirements for hard currency deposits at 16%.
Financial analysts expect the monetary policy easing process to continue in 2015, when the central bank could further cut its key rate to 2.5%. (Jurnalul National)
RA-APPS Fails To Sell Triumf Hotel In Bucharest
Romania’s state property authority RA-APPS has failed its first attempt this year to sell the Triumf Hotel in Bucharest, one of the most valuable assets in its portfolio, as no buyer registered for the auction.
The authority said a new auction will be organized.
The hotel was put up for sale at a starting price of EUR19.6 million, nearly EUR13 million less than at the first sale attempt, back in 2007, which was blocked in court. (Puterea)
Omar Hayssam’s Brothers Tracked Down In Turkey – Sources
The brothers of Syrian terror convict Omar Hayssam have been tracked down in Turkey, judicial sources told MEDIAFAX.
Mukhles and Mahmoud Omar fled Romania shortly before they were convicted for aiding and abetting their brother, who was accused of terrorism.
Romanian authorities have asked for the arrest and extradition of the two but have not yet received a response from Turkish authorities. They were sentenced to five years in prison each for helping Hayssam flee the country in 2006. (Romania Libera)