National Press Review, 10 May

The declarations of the IMF head of mission, Jeffrey Franks, upon the most recent evaluation visit in Bucharest are being analyzed in all today’s news.

‘The new IMF directives: privatized and off the hook of politically named managers!’, the România Liberă reads and asks in the headline: ‘When will we have foreign directors for state companies as well?’

After twenty years when directors appointed on political grounds, many of them corrupt, have led most state companies to bankruptcy, the IMF requires the selection is made transparently with the help of recruiting companies.

‘Imported managers, the ultimate solution of state companies’, the Evenimentul Zilei also reads.

The opinions of recruiting specialists, consulted by the newspaper, are however divided when it comes to the effectiveness of such measures.

One of their comments: it is awfully late and no one can come and make magic tricks.

The Adevărul: ‘IMF doesn’t back off in the new agreement either’.

Foreign founders keep their balance with the encouragements and stress the need to continue the reforms.

Finally, the Jurnalul Naţional is angry with Jeffrey Franks, whom it calls ‘the boy with broken shoes in the IMF who is coming to teach lessons’ and whom it blames for not noticing – and we quote from the Jurnalul Naţional - ‘the disaster that will continue this year in Romania’.

Today’s newspapers read also about Sunday’s elections in Baia Mare for mayor.

These had all the ingredients of a balcanic political fight, the Adevărul notes.

The new mayor, coming from the Social Liberal Union, Cătălin Cherecheş, was in negotiations with both the Liberal Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party.

He reached the Parliament in 2008, coming from the Social Democratic Party, the Adevărul also adds, but passed through the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the National Liberal Party (twice) and was step away from the Liberal Democratic Party. Cătălin Cherecheş is 32 years old.

The România Liberă reads that the Social Liberal Union has won a battle, but asks ‘What about the big war?, for, the newspaper notes, in the Union the tensions related to appointing candidates for the local elections next year and those who are doing surveys to establish, in the territory, what party the candidates should be, are increasing.

Today’s newspapers also talk about 10 May, the Feast of the Kingdom of Romania.

The Jurnalul Naţional devotes a whole page in today’s edition to a true history tale, which it tried to bring to the present.

This is something that – the newspaper reads – would wipe the dust of oblivion settled willingly or unwillingly over the events over the events of the second half of the 10th century: starting May 10 1866, Carol the 1st of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen was proclaimed ruler and in 1881 king of Romania.

The Evenimentul Zilei was yesterday to Călăraşi for the unveiling of a bust of King Mihai, in the presence of His Majesty.

The ceremony in the Danube town has occasioned a discussion about the meaning of manarchy in today’s Romania.


Translated by: Manuela Stancu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University