Week in Review: Old Problems, Hybrid Solutions?

Surprise, Surprise

Picture showing a TV screen inside Government Headquarters building, as seen trough a window, showing Ludovic Orban, Romania's premier and the leader of PNL (National Liberal Party), announcing live his resignation after parliamentary elections in Bucharest, Romania, 07 December 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/ROBERT GHEMENT

Another election, another surprise outcome. Ahead of the December 6 Parliamentary election in Romania, most pundits had expected the ruling PNL to emerge victorious, with a bigger or smaller lead, but nevertheless in first place. The apparently down-and-out Socialists seemed like a defeated army.

Instead, the Socialists managed to pull into first place, just. Despite this, it is still the centre-right and liberal parties who are likely to lead the next government. With former PNL leader Ludovic Orban tendering his resignation, we take a look at who will likely lead Romania's next government.

Read more: Romania's Liberals Want Finance Minister to Head New Govt (December 10, 2020)

Mission Impossible?

Vlado Buckovski [l] greets the former NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer [r] during a visit to Skopje. Archive photo: Robert Atanasovski

"It is his fate in life to enter wars after important battles have already been lost." This is the description memorably used by one Macedonian journalist to describe North Macedonia's former Prime Minister, Vlado Buckovski.

Buckovski is now entering another 'war zone' at a moment that many believe a key battle has been lost - that between Skopje and Sofia on the battlefield of Macedonian identity. As someone with good contacts in Sofia, Buckovski has been appointed Skopje's Special Representative to Bulgaria...