| PREPARATIONS FOR THE LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ROMANIA 29/05/2008 |
| (2008-05-29) |
| Last updated: 2008-05-30 15:12 EET |
The campaign for the local elections in Romania has been in full swing, and the elections themselves are scheduled to take place in two rounds, on June the 1st and 15th. According to the law, as of Friday, 48 hours before election date, the broadcasting of electoral ads, the participation of candidates in media shows and the publication of opinion polls are all prohibited. Romanians eligible to vote must be at least 18 years old, present a valid identification document, and must not be subject to any medical or judicial restraint. They will only be permitted to vote in the polling station where they have legal residence. To ensure the transparency of the electoral process, both local and foreign observers will be present in polling stations, as well as representatives of political parties. In theory, voters have two days to analyse their options, before casting a vote for mayors, local and county councillors, and county council chairpersons.
Also in theory, there's plenty to choose from: as many as 54 parliamentary and non-parliamentary political parties have filed candidate lists around the country. But in practice, the performance of the local official hopefuls has not been convincing. Moreover, meteorologists forecast a sunny weekend, and the election day coincides with Children's Day, so some of the electorate is expected to have other interests – which is why sociologists estimate a poor turnout. They also expect the current mayors to win a second term in office, from the first election round, in many localities. Because “if they are perceived as people who have done a good job, they will be re-elected, regardless of the party that backs them.”
And opinion polls confirm this forecast. Five of the six district mayors in Bucharest, as well as mayors of other major cities, such as Timisoara in the south-west, Constanta in south-east, Iasi (east) or Sibiu (centre) are in pole-position. A tighter race is expected for the chairmanship of county councils, which for the first time will be assigned by citizens, through direct voting in one round, rather than through councillors' backstage arrangements. The weight of county council chairpersons, particularly in financial decision-making, is what makes these positions quite enticing for the parties, which have sent their top leaders to run for local offices. But regardless of what's on the line, the political debates were boring. Polls found that the Romanian soap opera “Heart of a Gypsy” enjoyed ten times more viewers than the electoral talk shows.
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2025-04-03
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