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| MEDIA HEADLINES 05/06/2008 |
| (2008-06-05) |
| Last updated: 2008-06-06 12:56 EET |
“Real estate Mafia clash in Stefanesti,” headlines the daily paper ZIUA, saying that the Romanian Central Electoral Bureau's decision to cancel the election results in the Village of Stefanesti, near Bucharest, has repercussions across the Ilfov county and the whole country. The decision is final and was taken after analysing the complaints filed by several parties claiming that local elections were rigged.
“There were cases when the same person voted several times, when people with a criminal record who have no right to vote and people who were not registered did cast their vote.”, writes the same daily, adding that, quote “the news that the elections in this Ilfov County village were cancelled made the two sides in Stefanesti take to the streets : on the one hand the supporters of the left wing Social Democratic Party in opposition and on the other, the supporters of the New Generation Party led by businessman Gigi Becali.
The daily paper Evenimentul Zilei says that on election day, people stampeded to the ballots all day long in Stefanesti, while the turnout was low elsewhere in this country. The former mayor of the village, from the New Generation Party, is accused by the people that, quote” he did nothing during his term but give land to his cronies”. Unquote.
The importance of the elections in Stefanesti is not only political but also economic, because the entire area located on the outskirts of Bucharest is a genuine gold mine in terms of real estate, explains the daily paper Cotidianul. At the moment, 1 sq metre of land in that area costs 100 euros, but according to a study by the real estate investment company Neoland published last year, the price of land in that area will increase in the next 5 years by 50 to 200%.
“The battle for the localities with a real estate potential sparks off tension in the villages close to Bucharest”, writes the daily paper Adevarul along the same line. The daily paper Ziua writes that, quote “In recent years, Stefanesti has become an important spot on the real estate map. Wide-scale projects to build tens of thousands of homes have been dropped in the area. Investments to built residential complexes will exceed 1 billion euros.
Also, the fact that Stefanesti is located on the route of the future Bucharest-Ploiesti motorway makes it very attractive for land developers.” End of quote. The outcome of the ballot in this village may tip the balance towards the Social Democratic Party winning the presidency of the Ilfov County Council and thus ministering huge amounts of money.
“The Stefanesti case should not be intriguing”, says the president of the Pro Democracy Association, Cristian Parvulescu. He says, quote “the parties like that. It's much more practical to buy votes than to persuade people to vote for you. Given the situation, voters do nothing else but adjust to it.” unquote.
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