What the newspapers say: January 4, 2011

Liberals and Social Democrats have advanced in negotiations for sharing the electoral influence spheres and designating common candidates for 2012 despite divergences manifested between leaders. Elsewhere in the news, Hungarian ethnics in Romania started requesting double citizenship offered by the Budapest government. Last but not least, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Romania this morning.

Liberals and Social Democrats have advanced negotiations regarding a possible electoral alliance for 2012, despite divergences between leaders, Evenimentul Zilei reads. The PSD secretary general Liviu Dragnea and his Liberal counterpart had several meetings in which they negotiated the formula in which the two parties would collaborate for the 2012 elections.

The two parties will name common candidates for county council presidents and local mayors in the big cities. According to sources, negotiations are advanced, as the two parties even shared their spheres of influence. The two negotiators even reached an agreement on the principles that will guide the designation of candidates.

The rule is that each party will conserve their influential electoral areas. In other words, in cities where PSD holds county council presidents, mayors the candidates should be PSD and vice versa for the Liberals.

Elsewhere in the news, Romania libera reads that Hungarian ethnics in Romania started as of yesterday to request double citizenship from the Budapest government. Hungarian citizenship comes with a few advantages: they can work, without restrictions in any EU country and enjoy simpler procedures for a US visa.

Tens of people applied for the citizenship among these also politicians, like the local Hungarian Democrat counselor Lajos Molnos. Among the first who applied were presidents of the county councils in Mures, Harghita and Covasna.

Gandul reads about the partial solar eclipse that will be seen in Romania starting 9 AM in East and 9:13 AM in the West. The maximum will be produced around 10:35 AM in the center of the country, with the sun covered 76%. The eclipse will end around 12:07 PM and will be visible in Europe, North of Africa and Center and West of Asia.

The next solar eclipse visible in Romania will be produced on March 20, 2015.