What the newspapers say: May 27, 2009

The fight for political control over various state institutions is in full swing as parties forming the current government try to have their own men installed in various offices, following general elections have a year ago Romanian newspapers read on Wednesday. Preparations for presidential elections are also of interest as one paper says it has clear proof President Basescu is to run for presidency again. Government moves on high pensions and Romania’s infrastructure performance also draw media interest today.

Adevarul reports that „thousands of public servants” have been replaced by political activists. The paper – which is seen as supportive of the Liberals, who were removed from government in general elections half a year ago – is in line with other papers in saying that what should have been an improvement of administration activities turned into a political fight between the two parties now forming the government coalition, for positions within state institutions.

It reports that a government ordinance brings chaos among 2,000 public administration bosses as managers of health, education, culture, labor, administration, environment and economy sectors have been dismissed.

Meanwhile, another newspaper, Evenimentul Zilei is focused on another type of elections – the presidential poll due to take place later this year. It reports that it has proof that incumbent President Traian Basescu, who’s been claiming that he has not made his mind yet about running for office again, has in fact the intention to do right so. A newspaper photographer managed to shoot the notes Basescu put down for a discussion with representatives of the Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L), the main party backing him – and the notes showed he was about to give strategic advice about preparations for his own candidacy in presidential elections.

The same newspaper reports that the Government decided on Tuesday to cut pensions for so-called „luxury pensioners” – people such as ex-judges, former top military officers or ex-MPs, despite it had announced such pensioners would not be affected by a new law in this regard. Some 10,000 people may be left with only a third of what they receive as a pension right now while 200,000 people will be affected by the „luxury pensions” move, according to the paper.

Meanwhile, Cotidianul turns its focus on infrastructure and reports that while a bridge built by Bulgaria in the Danube area of Calafat-Vidin will be finished next year, Romanians will only manage to lay a road and a railroad up to the bridge by 2011, about half a year after the bridge is up.

The infrastructure issues are dealt by Gandul as well. The paper lists a series of mistakes in infrastructure works that prove „incompetence” – such as the Pipera-Tunari passageway, which was projected by totally ignoring the presence of water, road, natural gas and telephony links in the area. This, among others, will lead to a halt in Bucharest-Constanta rail connections for several weeks.