Roma Party Signs Protocol To Back Ponta For President
Over the past ten years, presidential elections in Romania have become a game of strategy where final bonuses, votes, are carefully collected from all areas of Romanian politics.
Such an area is the ethnic Roma minority, whose votes could tip the scales.
The head of the Roma Party, Dorin Cioaba, signed a protocol with UNPR to back Victor Ponta for president. (Puterea)
Basescu Said Ponta Should Admit He Was Foreign Intelligence Officer
President Traian Basescu said Monday evening on Realitatea TV that Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who is running for president, should admit he was an officer of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
He said Ponta was in the service between 1997 and 2001 and presented as evidence a government decision signed by Adrian Nastase in 2002. Basescu added this explains why Ponta’s political career was fast-tracked.(Evenimentul Zilei)
Basescu Reaffirms Support For Elena Udrea In Presidential Race
President Traian Basescu has reaffirmed his support for PMP’s presidential candidate Elena Udrea.
The president criticized presidential candidates Victor Ponta and Klaus Iohannis, saying they are corrupt and liars.
“I do not support and will not support Ponta and I have no agreement with him. I do not support and will not support Iohannis and I have no agreement with him either. They are both liars and they are both corrupt. I maintain my support for Elena Udrea because she is fair, doesn’t lie and did concrete things when she was minister,” said Basescu. (Jurnalul National)
Domestic Demand Could Contribute 2.9 Points To Next Year’s Economic Growth
Domestic demand could contribute 2.9 percentage points to next year’s economic growth, as growth in consumption could be supported by additional public spending and modest improvement in private sector activities, according to BCR.
BCR analysts have maintained their economic growth forecast at 3.3% for 2015 and 3.5% in 2016, following an estimated growth of 2.3% this year, the bank said in a report.
Private investments are seen growing next year, after two consecutive years of declines, as lending in lei will pick up following the central bank’s key rate lowering measures. (Adevarul)
Romania To Raise Gross Minimum Wage In January To RON975 In 2015
Romania will raise the gross minimum wage to RON975 as of January 1, 2015, from the recurrent RON900, Labor Minister Rovana Plumb said Monday.
Under the Romanian Labor Code, the gross minimum wage is established by Government decision after consulting unions and employers.
Romania raised the minimum wage this year in two stages, by RON50 each time, based on a Government decision passed on November 2013. As of July, the gross minimum wage in Romania is RON900 a month or RON5.357 an hour. (Puterea)
Romania Industrial Output Falls In August
Romania’s adjusted industrial production fell 2.7%in August compared with a month earlier, on lower output in the manufacturing and mining sectors, the country’s statistics institute INS said Friday.
In annual terms, industrial production increased 4.7% in August, reflecting growing output in most sectors.
In the January-August interval, the industrial output was up 9% compared with the year-earlier period, supported mainly by the manufacturing sector.
In unadjusted data, Romanian industrial production fell 20.2% on the month in August, and was flat compared with the same month of 2013. (Romania Libera)