What the newspapers say: June 30, 2008

A second round of local elections were organized at Stefanesti, Ilfov county near Bucharest in another attempt to have a democratic vote there, one newspaper reads on Monday. Another newspaper reads about a costly gift for local city halls: after reshuffling the army, the Defense minister decided to offer, free of charge, unused plots of land back to city halls. On a lighter tone, political leaders left aside their party affiliations and met at Monte Carlo to celebrate a wedding.

Cotidianul reads about another round of local elections organized at Stefanesti, Ilfov county after the Central Electoral Office declared that the previously held elections were frauded. The two competing parties, Social Democrats and the New Generation Party (PNG) took these elections very seriously.

Thus, for the Social Democrats, famous singer Adrian Copilul Minune performed at Stefanesti and was present all day. On the other camp, locally famous bodyguard-fighter Smarandescu was present to boost businessman Gigi Becali’s PNG party popularity.

The newspaper reads that Smarandescu, while no longer working for Becali, was present over there to support PNG in these elections. Nonetheless, Smarandescu did not admit anything.

Elsewhere in the newspapers, Defense minister Teodor Melescanu declared that due to massive reshuffling, the army will offer important plots of land to city halls all over Romania, Romania libera reads. The newspaper informs that those plots have great value.

For example, terrains owned by the military in Cluj, central Romania are worth well above 100 million euro. Thus, city halls now have a very specific target: negotiations are already on going for future businesses to be built there. Naturally, those terrains are being targeted by local businessmen.

On a lighter tone, Cotidianul reads that most important political party leaders left aside their political affiliation to celebrate the wedding of political consultant Dan Andronic in Monte Carlo. The newspaper reads about the opulence in the four star hotel.

Romania’s PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu did not miss this opportunity and turned up aboard a black Ferrari worth some 200 to 300 thousand euro. Present at the wedding, former Romanian PM Adrian Nastase refused to be the godfather of the newly weds. However, the task was fulfilled by Conservative party leader Dan Ioan Popescu, former Economy minister.