Romania – Government under pressure

Romania figures prominently in this blog, which is never a good sign! In that context, the current situation there is worth keeping an eye on.

There have been anti-government protests for the last week, some of which SETimes reports have turned violent.

There has been discontent for some time. For example, public sector workers were forced to take a big pay cut in the summer. However, the current protests seem to have been sparked by the resignation of the Minister for Health, Raed Arafat, over a proposed health reform. There is a report here.

In response to the protests, PM Boc has withdrawn the reform and Minister Arafat has been reappointed. PM Boc has also announced the creation of a so-called Council of Economic Dialogue between the government and the opposition. My assessment is that such a reform is unlikely to assuage those who are opposed to the government. In addition, the PM has announced that parliament will reconvene for an extraordinary session on 23-24 January. Again, in my opinion such a move is unlikely to calm the situation.

Overall, there is a fin de gouvernement whiff about events in Romania. If I am right, then Romania would merely be added to the list of governments that have fallen because of the current economic crisis in Europe.

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