Romania, in the local elections week
There are only a few days left until local elections in Romania.
Eugen Coroianu, 22.09.2020, 13:50
Local elections in Romania, due on September 27, are probably the first ones in the country’s history held during a pandemic. Initially scheduled for June, the elections were postponed due to the health crisis. Many still criticize the decision, given the high number of coronavirus infections as compared to July, but who could have predicted this? Restrictions such as mask wearing and social distancing, in place during the election campaign, will also be valid during the voting. Authorities have given assurances that if protection measures are respected, the risk of infection will not increase. Nevertheless, voices from the opposition say the elections should have been postponed again.
On September 27 Romanians will elect 41 county council presidents, 1300 county councilors, 40 thousand local councilors and 3200 mayors. The results of the vote for county councils, which is seen as a political vote, will be a good indicator for the outcome of the general elections scheduled for December 6th. The battle is given, as usual, between the left, represented by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the big winner of the previous local and general elections and the right, represented by the National Liberal Party (PNL), currently in power. At the latest European elections, the Liberals outran the Social Democrats who are now in opposition but still form majority in parliament.
The URS-PLUS center-right alliance, in opposition, is playing an increasingly important role on the Romanian political stage, having won a very good result in the European elections and enjoying the support of an important part of the electorate in the big cities. The alliance’s relationship with the Liberals is rather unusual, yet understandable. In many localities, they support the same candidates in order to defeat the PSD, while in others, such as the big cities, they are direct contenders. Hence, the contradictory attitudes of friendship and hostility. A good example in this respect is the capital Bucharest, where PNL and URS-PLUS support the same candidate for the mayor seat, Nicusor Dan, who, according to opinion polls, stands a little bit better than the current mayor, the Social Democrat Gabriela Firea. The right wing also supports the same candidates for district mayors and local councils in the capital city.
Former Romanian President, Traian Basescu, also runs for the seat of Bucharest mayor. Currently an MEP, Basescu is supported by the People’s Movement Party (PMP), which has an electoral threshold of around 5%. Basescu is believed to be supported by around 9% of the electorate who, according to experts, would have initially voted for Nicusor Dan. They also say that Basescu decided to run for mayor precisely after disputes between PMP and the right wing in Bucharest. Eagerly awaited are also the results for county councilors, seen as a barometer for how parties stand in the electorate’s preferences. (Translated by Elena Enache)
