Candidates for the legislative elections

With one month and a half remaining before the December 11 legislative elections, political parties and independent candidates have filed their candidacies, which can be appealed by November 7.

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Bogdan Matei, 28.10.2016, 13:51

Most political parties in Romania have submitted their lists of candidates for the legislative elections this year. These include both new names, as well as old party hardliners. The party holding most seats in the current Parliament and favored by opinion polls to win is the Social-Democratic Party that submitted a list headed by former Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu and other former ministers, such as Rovana Plumb, Eugen Teodorovici and Nicolae Baniciou. Former Prime Minister Victor Ponta has filed his candidacy for his constituency in Gorj County, while Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea will be running for office in Teleorman County, commonly seen as his political stronghold.

Liviu Dragnea: “40% of our candidates are women, 40% are young people and over 75% candidates are new. 40% of them are economic or legal experts, it was an aspect that we took very serious”.

The first party to submit its lists was the National Liberal Party, which pundits see as the only right-wing party able to challenge the Social Democrats. Known for his professionalism and acts of charity, neurosurgeon Leon Dănăilă is top of the list for the Senate.

Liberal leader Alina Gorghiu is running for a seat in the Senate in Timis County: “We have people from all walks of life, very-well trained and upstanding people, two criteria which differentiate us from other parties”.

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from Romania (ALDE) lists the party’s two co-presidents, Calin Popescu Tariceanu and Daniel Constantin, both running for Bucharest, but also former ministers, such as Teodor Melescanu or Sorin Campeanu, who will be running in constituencies in the country.

90% of the listed names have only just entered politics, Popescu-Tariceanu says: “I hope this election should consolidate the position of ALDE as the third political faction in Romania, an alternative to traditional parties”.

Former President Traian Basescu will be running on behalf of the People’s Movement Party for the Senate. One of his priority projects, if elected, will be the switch to a single-chamber Parliament with 300 seats, reflecting the will of those who voted in the 2009 referendum.

Traian Basescu: “We will have a 300-seat Parliament, we will revise the Constitution, we will roll back the Education Law and consolidate the judiciary”.

The leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, is running in his constituency in Harghita County for the Chamber of Deputies. The leader of the Save Romania Union, Nicusor Dan, will be running for Bucharest, followed by a former minister, Cristian Ghinea. Before political parties got to finalize their lists of candidates, US Ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, said that US-Romania relations could be consolidated if the structure of the upcoming Government reflected the principles of integrity and expertise, ruling out people under criminal investigation. (traslation by V. Palcu)