What the newspapers say: April 25, 2007

A new controversy rises at the very moment the political crisis seemed to go on a break. The Parliament decided to issue a law so that Basescu would remain suspended indefinitely in case less than half of the electors go to vote.
Most newspapers also comment about another Parliamentarian fear: being checked for illegal income by any authorized institution.

"They suspended the Constitution, too!" is the title in Evenimentul Zilei, in an article about the way the Parliament came to decide who's the president, instead of the electors.

Gandul is less offensive, reading that "Liberals and Social Democrats prepare a Constitution for non-player presidents". The two parties intend to define the presidential attributions in a way so that Basescu or any other president should lose most of its power.

And, to change the tone of the discussion, Conservatives' head, Dan Voiculescu, announced that his party will submit evidence proving that Traian Basescu was o collaborator of the Communist political police, Securitate, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

But Basescu is not all that Parliamentarians fear. A recent amendment in the ANI Law (the Agency for National Integrity) voted by the MPs may prevent any institution from checking their wealth five years after they ended their mandate, Evenimentul Zilei reads.
The only certain thing is that the new Justice Minister, Tudor Chiuariu, managed to irritate all the MPs, suggesting the penalties for illegal income: from three years without the right to candidate to any public seat to confiscating the unjustified wealth.

The reactions were almost violent: "Confiscating the wealth is equal to a death sentence", shouted the Hungarian Minority representative, Georgy Frunda, according to Gandul.

Now, for the good news: Voluntari, once a small village in the vicinity of Bucharest, is a target for 3.5 billion euros investments, all for commercial spaces and office buildings. The funds would represent some 3% of Romania's annual budget, Gandul reads.

Also in the good news: the second reactor at the Cernavoda nuclear plant will be late, but will be functional. Instead of the end of April, the reactor will be turned on at the beginning of May. Still, it will be functional for the winter, providing 18% of Romania's energy, same Gandul reads.

But money come and money go. Other 3 billion euros are scheduled to be spent on military planes, both fighters and troops carriers. The sum is large enough to open a small war between the aircraft producers, who already begun a PR campaign, Jurnalul National reads.

Speaking of the military, Vladimir Putin is extremely unhappy with the US troops in Romania and the placement of anti rocket devices in Poland, Cotidianul found out.

HotNews.ro, Apr 25, 2007