Political groups get ready for European Parliament elections
Political parties are preparing their strategy for the European Parliament elections.
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Leyla Cheamil, 09.02.2024, 13:50
2024 is an intense political year. Romanians are called to elect their MEPs, mayors, local councilors, parliamentarians, as well as the country’s president. There will therefore be four rounds of elections, if not five, if a second round of elections for the presidency will be needed. Consequently, the two ruling parties, PSD and PNL, are considering combining the European parliamentary elections with the local elections. Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă, has recently said that the idea of simultaneous elections could secure higher voter turnout. Moreover, the Social Democrats proposed holding the elections for the national Parliament at the same time with the first or second round of the presidential elections. PM Marcel Ciolacu, who is also the leader of the Social Democrats, pointed out that nine states in the European Union are merging the European Parliament elections with the local ones, thus European precedents have been created. On the other hand, the opposition, which criticizes these proposals, is of the opinion that a normative act on holding simultaneous elections is undemocratic as it violates the Administrative Code.
The nationalist party AUR held protests in front of the PSD and PNL offices in several localities, while USR announced that it has taken steps to notify the Venice Commission on the topic of holding the European Parliament and local elections simultaneously, less than six months before the date of the voting.
In the meantime, in order to prepare for the European elections, the main political groups in the European Parliament are working on the strategy by which they try to obtain the support of the electorate. As for the idea of holding elections simultaneously, the Social Democratic MEP Victor Negrescu said that, from the European perspective, there is no problem, as long as there is a campaign for the European Parliament, which is different from the one on local elections.
He also presented his vision regarding the future European commissioner that Romania will appoint after the European Parliament elections: I would like to have a European commissioner who is supported by the Romanian society, to have a public debate in this respect, to have a consultation of the Romanian Parliament. The president of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, spoke about the need for Eastern Europe to be represented in the future leadership of the main European institutions. The geographical balance must be found in the key positions in the European institutions. There is no doubt about that, said Manfred Weber. In spring, Bucharest will be the host of both the congress of the European People’s Party and the meeting of the leaders of the Party of European Socialists. (EE)
