Reactions to Sunday’s election

The European Parliament election has overthrown the political hierarchy in Romania, while the referendum on the judiciary has sent out a strong signal to the political class

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Ştefan Stoica, 27.05.2019, 13:55

Often criticized
for their overt apathy and lack of civic participation, Romanians were the
victors of Sunday’s European Parliament election. Half of them voted in the
election, which represents an all-time high, and 41% voted in the referendum on
the judiciary called by the president, thus exceeding the 30% threshold
required to validate the referendum. At the referendum Romanians were asked
whether or not they agreed to forbidding amnesty and pardon for
corruption-related offenses, as well as forbidding emergency decrees targeting
the justice system. Images of endless Romanians standing in line abroad, trying
to exercise their constitutional right to vote, went viral online. Some of them
did manage to vote, despite standing in line for hours, feeling frustrated and
angry, all the more so as the same happened at the presidential election of
2014, when Romanians in the Diaspora also waited for hours in line to cast
their vote. This is why President Klaus Iohannis and the main opposition parties
in Romania, the National Liberal Party and the 2020 Save Romania Union – Plus
Alliance have called on the left-of-center Government to step down. The
President congratulated Romanians for the good voter turnout, saying their vote
has conveyed a clear message to the political class. Klaus Iohannis:

You have cast a clear and
powerful vote that no politician in Romania can ignore. You have voted for fair
policy-making, for an upright judiciary, for an independent judiciary, for good
governance, to the benefit of Romanians and Romania.

Sunday’s ballot
has overthrown the political rankings in Romania. The National Liberal Party is
now in top position, followed by the Social-Democratic Party. The 2020 Save
Romania Union – Plus Alliance is now in third place. The Pro Romania Party, the
People’s Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
Romania will also be represented in the new European Parliament. The Social-Democratic Party has lost not just
20% of the votes they received at the legislative election of 2016, but also
their coalition partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from Romania,
who failed to reach the 5% threshold. Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea
thanked Romanians who voted for the Social-Democratic Party and reiterated his
support for the governing program, admitting however the result is not a
satisfying one. Commonly seen as the number one beneficiary of the cascading
changes brought to the criminal legislation, Liviu Dragnea said he has never
questioned the referendum on the judiciary.

The party must conduct swift
and comprehensive analyses. Regarding the referendum, today I voted in the
referendum as well. Like I’ve said on several occasions, I am not against the
referendum and I am not against the topics it proposed. Romanian society never
had a debate concerning the fight against corruption or any other related
topics.

Liberal leader
Ludovic Orban believes the results of the European Parliament election and the
referendum reflect the will of Romanian citizens.

Starting today, no political leader will dare speak of amnesty, pardons or
destroying the justice system by means of emergency degrees. I am grateful to
all Romanian citizens who cast their votes and who voted for the National
Liberal Party.

The president of
PLUS Party, Dacian Ciolos, in turn hailed Sunday’s vote, which he considers
proof of the country’s revival, while his coalition partner, Dan Barna, the
president of Save Romania Union, said the results are a huge win for Romania.

This reaction is the element
on which we can further build our future. This referendum shows that when the
decent forces of society unite, the President, opposition parties who’ve never
stopped believing that the justice system should remain independent, such a
referendum can pass, confirming that the judiciary must remain independent and
Romania must remain a part of Europe.

The Pro Romania
party passed its first election test, becoming the 4th political
faction in Romania. Pro Romania President Victor Ponta believes the result
shows Romania is ready for a change.

(Translated by V. Palcu)