As the first instance, the Senate, the upper house of the Romanian legislature, approved the proposal of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (known by its Hungarian acronym of RMDSZ) to hold the municipal elections on September 27, the party of the Hungarian minority said in a statement.
As in many other countries, elections that should have been held in May or June at the latest fell victim to the restrictive measures implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As a consequence, parliament extended mandates of the mayors and local council representatives until November 1 at the latest.
Attila Cseke, leader of RMDSZ’s parliamentary group, said that the September 27 date was arrived at after taking into account the interests of the various political organizations, adding that the draft was modified based on the Central Electoral Commission’s amendment proposals and that all changes are meant to ensure the safety of voters.
Unlike on previous occasions, this year the ballot papers will be printed by the Official Bulletin.
Another change from previous municipal elections is the way the ballot station presidents will be remunerated. Ordinarily, this falls under the jurisdiction of the government, but as the government did not set aside the necessary funds, the legislature has had to step in. The draft still has to be approved by the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.
Romania will also have presidential elections toward the end of the year, with current President Klaus Iohannis ineligible to run, as he is serving his second and — per the constitution — last mandate.
Title image: The Romanian legislation. (source: rmdsz.ro)
