Elena Udrea

Photo Opportunity

by Craig Turp February 7, 2012 Romania

 Dear Bucharest Life As it looks increasingly likely as though Elena Udrea will not be part of the new Romanian government, it is probably a fair assumption to say that she can look forward to having a great deal of spare time on her hands in the very near future. I therefore wonder if you [...]

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A quick word on Romania’s (proposed) new prime minister, Mihai Razvan Ungureanu

by Craig Turp February 7, 2012 Romania

 Romanian president Traian Basescu yesterday named the head of Romania’s foreign intelligence service Mihai Razvan Ungureanu as prime minister. Ungureanu now has to try and form a government and have it approved by parliament. The full story is here. Definitely an upgrade from Emil Boc and a rather nice man (we’ve met him: he was [...]

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Francophonies and the race to become mayor of Bucharest

by Craig Turp January 5, 2012 Bucharest

 One of our favourite ever moments of Bucharest Life came in September 2006, while we having dinner at a Bucharest restaurant. A group of French visitors on the next table were trying to order their meals in French, and, after becoming increasingly louder, yet still failing to make themselves understood, they gave up and tried [...]

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Bucharest Life 2012: It’s all about politics

by Craig Turp January 1, 2012 Bucharest

 One thing will dominate Bucharest Life this coming year, and it’s not Elena Udrea in latex. No, having taken a year’s holiday, Romanian politics is back in a big way, with two sets of elections scheduled for 2012, the first since the controversial presidential election of 2008. As things stand today, the loose and unholy [...]

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The year in Bucharest Life

by Craig Turp December 23, 2011 Bucharest

 We started the year in belligerent mood, dismissing as nonsense the idea that Minister of Tourism Elena Udrea should be held personally responsible for Romania failing to appear on a couple of meaningless travel lists. We followed that up with a similar post calling bullshit on the idea that foreign reporters should be compelled to [...]

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Marx, Engels & Lenin: Where to put them?

by Craig Turp November 23, 2011 Bucharest

 A few weeks ago we asked What’s wrong with Ceausescu Tourism? Nothing, was the general answer, unless of course you work for the anti-PDL/Elena Udrea branches of the Romanian media, who find it all a bit too much to say anything praiseworthy about our Minister of Tourism. This week’s moral conundrum is slightly more controversial: [...]

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Wild Carpathia: Saving Romania from the modern world one helicopter at a time

by Craig Turp November 4, 2011 Romania

 Only half in jest, Romanian president Traian Basescu earlier this year told a group of investors that while Romania was a wonderful country offering much to see, the poor state of its transport infrastructure meant that the best way to see the country was ‘by helicopter‘. We know not if the Middle Eastern investors he [...]

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