On Thursday, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will present to the Coalition the options proposed by the political parties following the consultations regarding the establishment of the electoral calendar for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
“Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, together with the two Deputy Prime Ministers Marian Neacșu and Cătălin Predoiu, will present on Thursday, in the Governing Coalition, the options proposed by the political parties following the dialogue regarding the establishment of the electoral calendar for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. At the same time, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will ask the Coalition partners to comply with the request expressed by all participants in the discussions at the Victoria Palace that the establishment of the electoral calendar be carried out in the shortest possible time, so that the electoral competition takes place in predictable and fair conditions for all candidates. The establishment of the electoral calendar must be based on objective criteria, agreed by all political parties and not to advantage or disadvantage certain candidates,” according to the Government’s press release after Monday and Tuesday’s consultations with the political parties.
“I thank all the participating parties for the constructive dialogue! I believe that it was a useful and democratic approach and I want the Coalition partners to take into account the opinions expressed”, added the Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu.
Marcel Ciolacu, PM and PSD chairman, concluded on Tuesday the consultations with the political parties on the date of organizing the presidential and parliamentary elections. On Monday, he met with the representatives of USR, AUR, UDMR, SOS Romania, those of the National Minorities Group in the Chamber of Deputies and those of PUSL. Today, the prime minister received the people from REPER and Forța Dreptei.
Forta Dreptei supports the organization of the first round of the presidential elections simultaneously with the parliamentary elections, on December 1 or 8, the president of the political formation, Ludovic Orban, declared on Tuesday, after consultations with the Government. He said that the proposals for the second round of the presidential elections are the dates of December 15 or 22.
“We want the elections to be organized when it is normal, close to the end of the mandate of the Parliament and the President”, pointed out Ludovic Orban. He emphasized that the Right Force “categorically” rejects the solution of organizing the second round of the presidential elections simultaneously with the parliamentary elections.
At the same time, Orban appreciated that these consultations are late. “I told the government representatives that this consultation should have taken place at the beginning of the year and not now. At the beginning of the year, the Coalition completely ignored the will of society, the will of the opposition political formations and established on its own, without any kind of consultation, a deeply unconstitutional electoral calendar that has already caused harmful effects for democracy in Romania, by collapsing local elections with the MEPs, through an unconstitutional Emergency Ordinance”, pointed out Ludovic Orban.
REPER supports the organization of the presidential elections on time, in November, declared on Tuesday, the co-president of the political formation, Ramona Strugariu, after consultations with the Government.
“The REPER party went with a very clear mandate, to organize early elections in the first place, and this was the most direct message we sent: we don’t play the electoral game of one political party or the other, but let’s go on what the law says and on a calendar that respects the legislation in force. I emphasized at the same time that the legislation in force is deficient and we very much need an electoral reform and it must be discussed as soon as possible”, she said.
At the same time, he stated that he reported to the prime minister the “defective” management of the electoral process, and REPER requested that the next elections be monitored internationally. Also, Strugariu pointed out, the party he leads asked for a commission to analyze the way the local elections were held.
“We very clearly suggested to the prime minister that we do not want any kind of merger for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections”, added the co-president of REPER, Dragoş Pîslaru. According to him, the prime minister agreed with this option. “At this moment, there is no plan from the Government to overlap (the elections – n.r.)”, Pîslaru said.
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