March 19, 2025. Online Spotlight. Online news of the last 24 hours

In the last 24 hours, the Romanian online press has focused on domestic politics (scandals between political leaders, electoral posturing, challenges to the Constitutional Court), institutions and governance (with a focus on the controversial spending of President Klaus Iohannis and the Venice Commission report) and national security (the DIICOT file on an attempted coup d'état).

President Klaus Iohannis's foreign travel expenses

The revelation of the sums paid for President Iohannis' flights, including his trip to the Paris Olympics, has sparked reactions and comments in the media. The press is taking (critical) messages by Elena Lasconi, Nicușor Dan and George Simion. (G4Media.ro, Digi24, HotNews.ro)

The confrontation between Gigi Becali and George Simion

The scandal between the FCSB boss and the AUR leader has gone public amid accusations by Becali. The latter claimed he had invested considerable sums in the campaign of Simion, whom he now considers a traitor. (Mediafax, Digi24, Libertatea)

Nicușor Dan's political plans and positions

Nicușor Dan has criticized the current government, said he would not support the appointment of Călin Georgescu as prime minister and said he would support Elena Lasconi for Bucharest mayor. The independent presidential candidate is positioning himself on various issues (G4Media.ro, HotNews.ro, Libertatea)

Report of the Venice Commission on the election coalitions

The report criticizes the merging of the European Parliament elections with local elections, arguing that the rule changes were made without public consultation, affecting democratic predictability. Several political voices are using the report as ammunition against the current government.(Digi24, HotNews.ro, G4Media.ro)

The "Geția" project

Presa has taken details from a DIICOT file on the group that allegedly conspired, at Russia's behest, to destabilize Romania. (Evenimentul Zilei, Mediafax, Ziare.com)

Contestation filed with the CCR against Anamaria Gavrila

Anamaria Gavrilă's candidacy has been challenged at the Constitutional Court amid allegations of extremist behavior. The CCR is to analyze the referral, the subject being relevant for the final list of candidates for the preselection, but also for the tensions between various ultra-nationalist parties. (Mediafax, Digi24, G4Media.ro)

Top entities frequently mentioned in the news:

1. Klaus Iohannis
2. George Simion
3. Gigi Becali
4. Nicușor Dan
5. The Venice Commission

*****Summary compiled using a monitoring feed provided by NewsVibe Romania, as well as Google News data. The analysis, data and images presented were enhanced with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools.