THE WEEK IN REVIEW

25-29 November 2024

Roxana Vasile, 30.11.2024, 14:00

Elections with surprises and ruckus

The organization, in Romania, in a single year, of all types of elections – presidential, parliamentary, European Parliament and local, as well as three consecutive Sundays – November 24, December 1 and 8 – reserved for the election of the president and the Parliament represented, even if only theoretically, a real test for the authorities and society as a whole. After the first round of the presidential elections on November 24, the logistical challenges were overlaid, however, by a surprise of great proportions and a huge political and social scandal. Contrary to all predictions, in first place in the voting options of Romanians was the independent so-called ‘sovereignist’ Călin Georgescu, perceived as a pro-Russian extremist, followed by the USR (opposition) candidate, Elena Lasconi. She overtook the incumbent social-democratic prime minister Marcel Ciolacu by less than 3 thousand votes, after a night of upheaveal. What followed? Prime Minister Ciolacu resigned as PSD leader, as did Nicolae Ciucă, leader of the PNL (in co-government), after he came in fifth in Romanians’ voting options. The Constitutional Court, which was supposed to validate the first round result on Thursday, has requested a re-verification and recount of all ballots after receiving a complaint that votes obtained by a candidate who withdrew from the race in the last stretch, had been turned over to Elena Lasconi. The Constitutional Court’s decision was criticized by most of the candidates involved in the electoral competition, who warned that a possible cancellation of the November 24 election would generate tensions and instability. Meanwhile, also on Thursday, the Supreme Council for National Defense met, and found that cyber attacks had been carried out with the aim of influencing the fairness of the electoral process. At the same time, one of the candidates – a statement from the SCND also states – benefited from preferential treatment and massive exposure on TikTok. The Chinese-owned platform rejected the accusations that indirectly targeted Călin Georgescu, stating that most of the candidates campaigned on its platform, and those who won also campaigned on other digital platforms, as well as in traditional media. In turn, the Special Telecommunications Service reported that, for the organization of the November 24 election, proactive measures were implemented to prevent and counter cyber-security risks, and the IT systems functioned within optimal parameters.

Parliamentary elections as if on mute

The infernal “noise” after the first round of the presidential elections made the parliamentary election scheduled for December 1, on National Day, fade in importance. However, the vote of the Romanians is essential insofar as the configuration of the future legislature, as well as the formation of the Government, depends on its result. At the end of an electoral campaign until the morning of November 30, over 8,000 candidates from 31 parties and alliances and 19 national minority organizations hope to obtain the vote of the Romanians to enter Parliament. While the election in Romania takes place over a single day, Sunday, in almost 19,000 polling stations, Romanians abroad are expected to vote in 950 stations over two days: Saturday – November 30 and Sunday – December 1.

Referendum for Bucharest

Concurrently with the first round of the presidential elections on November 24, a referendum was also organized in Bucharest, desired by Mayor General Nicușor Dan. When asked whether they agreed with the General Council of the City Hall taking over the distribution of income taxes, local taxes, and duties by sectors, over 64% of Bucharest residents answered “Yes”. Currently, this distribution is made by the government and Parliament. Also, more than 66% of the capital’s residents agreed that the General Mayor should issue all building permits. Finally, to the third question of the referendum, proposed by the PSD, over 84% of Bucharest residents answered that they agree that City Hall should finance a program to combat drug use in schools. The turnout at the referendum was almost 41%. In order to be applied, the vote must be confirmed by the legislature.

Romanians and free movement

Bucharest welcomed the decision of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the European Union, which gave a favorable opinion on the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area and with land borders starting with January 1, 2025. The decision was taken unanimously in Brussels. The agreement will go to the Justice and Home Affairs Council for approval in mid-December. On the other hand, Romania has met the visa refusal rate criterion essential for qualifying for the Visa Waiver Program, which allows visa-free travel to the United States. The US State Department published the report according to which Romania has fallen below the 3% threshold imposed by US legislation. More specifically, this year, Romanians have submitted approximately 80,000 visa applications, of which US diplomatic offices have accepted a record number of over 78,000.

A new European Commission ready to begin work

The new European Commission received a favorable vote from the European Parliament on Wednesday. One of the vice-presidents of the executive, also led by Ursula von der Leyen, will be Romanian Roxana Mînzatu. The first initiative of the team she is part of will be the adoption of a strategic plan for the growth of the European economy and its competitiveness. In fact, Roxana Mînzatu will also indirectly coordinate this area, because she will deal with social policies and the professional training of European workers. She will also be responsible for the broader spectrum of preparing society for moments of crisis, which refers not only to wars or climate catastrophes, but also to the green transition, digitalization, and social problems. The new European Commission begins its term on December 1.