What the newspapers say: November 25, 2009

The second round of elections will find incumbent Basescu facing a large coalition against him, as the Liberals decided to endorse Social Democrat Mircea Geoana. All newspapers read how Liberal Antonescu will fetch votes for Geoana in an attempt to overrule President Basescu. Elsewhere in the news, Romania registered its second death caused by A/H1N1 in North Romania, Botosani. On a lighter tone, newspapers read about the cultural event of the year as Salman Rushdie visits Romania.

All newspapers on Wednesday read about the coalition formed against incumbent President Basescu. Cotidianul reads about the decision of the Liberal Party to support Social Democrat Mircea Geoana for President in the second round.

However, the support is conditioned around Klaus Johannis who is to be named Prime Minister and on the creation of a governing program that will pull Romania out of the crisis. Liberal Antonescu confirmed his direct involvement in Geoana’s campaign.

The main objectives of the Liberals is to pull Romania out of the economic, political and moral crisis, to ensure political stability and a good governance based on competence, transparency and efficiency. The Liberals stand for reforming the political class by promoting responsive and responsible political leaders.

On the other hand, Evenimentul Zilei reads that Klaus Johannis is targeted by Social Democratic leaders: they declared for the newspaper that in a few months they will „finish him”. The Social Democrats see Johannis as compromised, since he will have to adopt many unpopular decisions.

According to the coalition agreement between the Social Democrats and Liberals, the two parties will equally share the 18 portfolios.

Elsewhere in the news, Romania’s Health ministry confirmed its second death caused by A/H1N1 virus, Cotidianul reads. The real number of the cases reached over 2,258 of which 190 are new cases, and 98 cases were not reported by the Health Authority in North Romania, Botosani.

On Monday, the Health ministry announced the first death caused by the virus in a man in Siret, North Romania.

Cotidianul reads about Salman Rushdie’s visit to Romania and his first impressions about Romania. Rushdie confessed that all he knows about Romania is Nadia Comaneci, Ceausescu, Eugene Ionescu, Mircea Eliade and Dracula.

Rushdie talked about his teenage years when he played in several plays written by Eliade or Ionescu. Rushdie was invited to the Book Fair, and he will meet readers at 6PM.