Latest news with #PSD
Euronews
10 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
Romania's new president nominates centre-right former mayor as PM
Romania's new pro-Western president, Nicusor Dan, on Friday nominated a centre-right former mayor to be prime minister. The nomination comes as Romania, a European Union and NATO member state, seeks to usher in a new government to end a protracted political crisis that has gripped the nation since last year. Dan nominated 56-year-old Ilie Bolojan of the centre-right National Liberal Party, or PNL, after a fresh round of talks Friday following weeks of deliberations. Bolojan had previously served as acting president from February to May, when Dan defeated a hard-right opponent in a heated presidential election rerun. The closely watched vote came months after the previous election was annulled by a top court, which plunged Romania into a deep political crisis. Dan described Bolojan as the 'most suitable person' for the job, which includes tackling a budget crisis. 'It is in Romania's interest for the government to be supported by a solid majority, and the parties have understood this,' he said. 'Romania's urgent priority is economic recovery, but ... you need a solid foundation.' Nomination will need to be approved by lawmakers Bolojan's nomination will need to be approved by parliament, and his government is expected to be comprised of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the PNL, the reformist Save Romania Union party, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party. The PSD has pushed for a power-sharing agreement that would see a rotation of the prime ministerial post. Responding to his nomination, Bolojan said he's 'fully aware of the great responsibility' the role will bring and acknowledged it 'will not be an easy undertaking.' 'I will continue discussions with political parties to secure a parliamentary majority, finalise the government, and define the governing program,' he said. 'I will pursue three priorities: to restore order to the country's finances, to work toward good governance that creates conditions for development in Romania, and ... to show proper respect to the Romanian people.' Reducing Romania's considerable budget deficit—one of the greatest in the 27-nation EU bloc—will be one of the main challenges facing a new government. Deep social divisions in the nation were also made clear by the controversies that surrounded the presidential election. According to Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, the new government will face the challenge of reaching a longer-term consensus over already delayed state reforms. 'There is only a disputed agreement on very short-term measures for the economic and budget crisis,' he told The Associated Press. 'If the short-term measures come with a social cost, inflation ... (and) will not be met by profound changes in policies and institutions, then the political crisis will loom over the next years and (future) elections.' In the wake of the May presidential election, Bolojan, acting as president, named PNL's Catalin Predoiu to lead the cabinet after Marcel Ciolacu resigned when his coalition's candidate did not advance to the runoff.
Indianapolis Star
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana football will 'definitely have sellouts' as ticket sales rise after historic season
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football rolled out a plan for 2025 single-game ticket sales this month that's slightly different from what it was a year ago, but for good reason. The Hoosiers will play seven games at Memorial Stadium, including four conference opponents: Illinois (Sept. 20), Michigan State (Oct. 18), UCLA (Oct. 25), and Wisconsin (Nov. 15). Indiana staggered the availability of single-game tickets by opening up a pre-sale to donors June 10 and a "build-your-own" two-game bundle for non-donors that includes one nonconference and one Big Ten game. The program will make the remaining individual game tickets available to the general public July 8, nearly a full month after it opened sales for single-game tickets for the 2024 season. Indiana tweaked the schedule due to increased season-ticket sales following the team's first appearance in the College Football Playoff under coach Curt Cignetti. "Ticket sales have been phenomenal,' Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said in an interview with The Herald-Times. 'Best I've seen in my long history, in terms of year-to-year improvement.' Buy IndyStar's book on IU's historic College Football Playoff season Going into 2024, Indiana football's ticket sales were up 10% in most categories, and Dolson was happy with those numbers, considering the Hoosiers were coming off a third straight disappointing season. The expectations changed amidst IU's historic 10-0 start. There was a stretch early in the year when Cignetti made the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium a weekly talking point. He urged fans to 'Pack the Rock' and penned a letter to students encouraging them to stay for all four quarters in hopes of creating a more imposing home environment. Indiana fans responded by setting a single-season attendance record (386,992) that included four straight sellouts (53,082) to end the year. That momentum carried into the offseason. 'We will definitely have sellouts,' Dolson said. 'I don't know if we will have sellouts for every game. I think we will be close, maybe closer than we've ever been in our history. There's no question that Hoosier Nation has responded just how we hoped they would.' Indiana's season-ticket sales are up 50% from last season, Dolson said. They were in the low 20s last season and are up in the mid 30s as the program prepares to open up single-game ticket sales. 'It's remarkable, even anecdotally, people saying to me they are legitimately worried about not being able to get a ticket,' Dolson said. 'That's what you want, to create enough demand where people worry about the supply. People are starting to worry about supply, and that's a good thing.' Explainer: Indiana football incorporates personal seat donations in 2025. Here's what it means The improved sales came after IU introduced a personal seat donation (PSD) program in February that raised season-ticket prices upwards of $250 per seat. The program is expected to generate $2.5 to $3 million in annual revenue as the athletic department looks for ways to cover revenue-sharing expenses. 'The personal seat donation, people understood,' Dolson said. 'It's never easy to increase prices and we've always tried to keep (ticket prices) modest and at market value. I do think people see the investments we are making and appreciate the results of those investments." Indiana's biggest challenge in recent months has been figuring out the optimal number of individual tickets to make available. 'We still want to maintain single-game opportunities because not everyone can come for a full season, and with an alumni base that's one of the largest in the country, we want to accommodate as many people as we can, but what's the right number?' Dolson said. 'But those are awesome problems to have when you've been around a long time and had to find extremely creative ways (in the past) to generate the interest we want." Get IndyStar's IU coverage sent directly to your inbox with our IU Insider newsletter.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Romania's new president nominates center-right former mayor as prime minister
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's new pro-Western president on Friday nominated a center-right former mayor to be prime minister, as the European Union and NATO member state seeks to usher in a new government to end a protracted political crisis that has gripped the nation since last year. President Nicusor Dan nominated 56-year-old Ilie Bolojan of the center-right National Liberal Party, or PNL, after a fresh round of talks Friday following weeks of deliberations. Bolojan previously served as acting president between February and May, when Dan decisively beat a hard-right opponent in a heated presidential election rerun. That closely watched vote came months after the previous election was annulled by a top court, which plunged Romania into a deep political crisis. At the presidential Cotroceni Palace in the capital Bucharest, Dan said Bolojan is the 'most suitable person" for the job, which includes tackling a budget crisis. 'It is in Romania's interest for the Government to be supported by a solid majority, and the parties have understood this,' Dan said. 'Romania's urgent priority is economic recovery, but ... you need a solid foundation." The president's nomination will need to be approved by lawmakers. A new government is expected to be comprised of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the PNL, the reformist Save Romania Union party, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party. The PSD has pushed for a power-sharing agreement that would see a rotation of the prime ministerial post. After he was nominated, Bolojan said he's 'fully aware of the great responsibility' the role will bring, and acknowledged it 'will not be an easy undertaking.' 'I will continue discussions with political parties to secure a parliamentary majority, finalize the government, and define the governing program,' he said. 'I will pursue three priorities: to restore order to the country's finances, to work toward good governance that creates conditions for development in Romania, and ... to show proper respect to the Romanian people." One of the biggest issues a new government will face is how to reduce Romania's large budget deficit, one of the highest in the 27-nation EU bloc. The presidential election furore also exposed deep societal divisions in the country. Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, says that a new government will face the challenge of reaching a longer-term consensus over already delayed state reforms. 'There is only a disputed agreement on very short-term measures, for the economic and budget crisis," he told The Associated Press. 'If the short-term measures come with a social cost, inflation ... (and) will not be met by profound changes in policies and institutions, then the political crisis will loom over the next years and (future) elections.' After the first round of the May presidential vote, Bolojan, as acting president, appointed Catalin Predoiu of the PNL to helm the government, following the resignation of Marcel Ciolacu, who stepped down after his coalition's candidate failed to make the runoff.
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Romania's new president nominates center-right former mayor as prime minister
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's new pro-Western president on Friday nominated a center-right former mayor to be prime minister, as the European Union and NATO member state seeks to usher in a new government to end a protracted political crisis that has gripped the nation since last year. President Nicusor Dan nominated 56-year-old Ilie Bolojan of the center-right National Liberal Party, or PNL, after a fresh round of talks Friday following weeks of deliberations. Bolojan previously served as acting president between February and May, when Dan decisively beat a hard-right opponent in a heated presidential election rerun. That closely watched vote came months after the previous election was annulled by a top court, which plunged Romania into a deep political crisis. At the presidential Cotroceni Palace in the capital Bucharest, Dan said Bolojan is the 'most suitable person' for the job, which includes tackling a budget crisis. 'It is in Romania's interest for the Government to be supported by a solid majority, and the parties have understood this,' Dan said. 'Romania's urgent priority is economic recovery, but ... you need a solid foundation.' The president's nomination will need to be approved by lawmakers. A new government is expected to be comprised of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the PNL, the reformist Save Romania Union party, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party. The PSD has pushed for a power-sharing agreement that would see a rotation of the prime ministerial post. After he was nominated, Bolojan said he's 'fully aware of the great responsibility' the role will bring, and acknowledged it 'will not be an easy undertaking.' 'I will continue discussions with political parties to secure a parliamentary majority, finalize the government, and define the governing program,' he said. 'I will pursue three priorities: to restore order to the country's finances, to work toward good governance that creates conditions for development in Romania, and ... to show proper respect to the Romanian people.' One of the biggest issues a new government will face is how to reduce Romania's large budget deficit, one of the highest in the 27-nation EU bloc. The presidential election furore also exposed deep societal divisions in the country. Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, says that a new government will face the challenge of reaching a longer-term consensus over already delayed state reforms. 'There is only a disputed agreement on very short-term measures, for the economic and budget crisis,' he told The Associated Press. 'If the short-term measures come with a social cost, inflation ... (and) will not be met by profound changes in policies and institutions, then the political crisis will loom over the next years and (future) elections.' After the first round of the May presidential vote, Bolojan, as acting president, appointed Catalin Predoiu of the PNL to helm the government, following the resignation of Marcel Ciolacu, who stepped down after his coalition's candidate failed to make the runoff . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Romania's new president nominates center-right former mayor as prime minister
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's new pro-Western president on Friday nominated a center-right former mayor to be prime minister, as the European Union and NATO member state seeks to usher in a new government to end a protracted political crisis that has gripped the nation since last year. President Nicusor Dan nominated 56-year-old Ilie Bolojan of the center-right National Liberal Party, or PNL, after a fresh round of talks Friday following weeks of deliberations. Bolojan previously served as acting president between February and May, when Dan decisively beat a hard-right opponent in a heated presidential election rerun. That closely watched vote came months after the previous election was annulled by a top court, which plunged Romania into a deep political crisis. At the presidential Cotroceni Palace in the capital Bucharest, Dan said Bolojan is the 'most suitable person' for the job, which includes tackling a budget crisis. 'It is in Romania's interest for the Government to be supported by a solid majority, and the parties have understood this,' Dan said. 'Romania's urgent priority is economic recovery, but … you need a solid foundation.' The president's nomination will need to be approved by lawmakers. A new government is expected to be comprised of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the PNL, the reformist Save Romania Union party, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party. The PSD has pushed for a power-sharing agreement that would see a rotation of the prime ministerial post. After he was nominated, Bolojan said he's 'fully aware of the great responsibility' the role will bring, and acknowledged it 'will not be an easy undertaking.' 'I will continue discussions with political parties to secure a parliamentary majority, finalize the government, and define the governing program,' he said. 'I will pursue three priorities: to restore order to the country's finances, to work toward good governance that creates conditions for development in Romania, and … to show proper respect to the Romanian people.' One of the biggest issues a new government will face is how to reduce Romania's large budget deficit, one of the highest in the 27-nation EU bloc. The presidential election furore also exposed deep societal divisions in the country. Cristian Andrei, a Bucharest-based political consultant, says that a new government will face the challenge of reaching a longer-term consensus over already delayed state reforms. 'There is only a disputed agreement on very short-term measures, for the economic and budget crisis,' he told The Associated Press. 'If the short-term measures come with a social cost, inflation … (and) will not be met by profound changes in policies and institutions, then the political crisis will loom over the next years and (future) elections.' After the first round of the May presidential vote, Bolojan, as acting president, appointed Catalin Predoiu of the PNL to helm the government, following the resignation of Marcel Ciolacu, who stepped down after his coalition's candidate failed to make the runoff.
