Dacian Ciolos

Victims of the Bucharest rock club fire that killed 65 people and injured hundreds in October 2015 expressed outrage on Monday, as a court in the Romanian capital failed to assign a new judge to the case following the retirement of the previous judge.

Romanian anti-corruption activists called for new protests on Saturday evening, a day after 450 people were injured when riot police used water cannons and tear gas against demonstrators in Bucharest who demanded the resignation of the government. 

A new protest under the slogan "We're not leaving until you go!" was announced on social media for 6 pm on Saturday.

Former Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos says snap elections "are the only way to re-legitimize the political class," adding that Dancila Government must go away because "it is incompetent and a disgrace for Romanian professionals."

National Liberal Party (the Opposition's main party, PNL, ed. n.) leader Ludovic Orban on Thursday asserted that by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR)'s reasoning regarding the removal from office of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) head, Laura Codruta Kovesi, the justice independence's constitutional principle is violated.

Thousands of people took to the streets across the country on Sunday in protest against the new justice bill proposed by the ruling Social Democrat Party.

As BIRN previously reported, magistrates, civil society, diplomats and the EU all warned the bill would curb the independence of the judicial system and could hurt the country's standing in Europe.

Romania's increasingly close relations with Hungary's hardline Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, - and the latter's invitation to Romania to join the Visegrad Group - have alarmed opposition politicians, activists and foreign policy experts in Bucharest.

Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has angered environmental activists after announcing on Tuesday that the government will ask UNESCO to set aside a request made by the previous government in January to declare the 2,000-year-old Rosia Montana gold mine a protected area.

Romanian activists have called for fresh public protests on Thursday after the government issued a draft law that might allow politicians found guilty of crimes to hold public office once they have been rehabilitated.

Romania's main opposition centre-right National Liberal Party, PNL, is set to elect a new leader on Saturday, as the ruling Social Democrats face their worst crisis in years, with the party leader entrenched in a power struggle with the Prime Minister.

Romania's youngest political force in parliament, the Save Romania Union, USR, is holding its first national congress after the December 2016 elections at the weekend.

But much more is at stake than a simple leadership contest, analysts and politicians say.