Potential Solutions for Diaspora Voting

potential solutions for  diaspora voting The simple motion filed against the Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu has been rejected by the Senate

The Romanian Senators have rejected the simple motion filed by the opposition, calling for the resignation of the Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Melescanu, for the flawed way in which last month's referendum and European Parliament elections were organized for the Romanians living abroad. The opposition, represented by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the People's Movement Party have accused the foreign minister of deliberately attempting to limit the number of people able to vote on May 26th, and set up a smaller number of polling stations in areas where large communities of Romanians live. 


The Save Romania Union Senator Mihai Gotiu believes that Teodor Melescanu did not want to take responsibility for the situation in which Romanians abroad had to queue for hours, some of them without even managing to cast their vote, and chose to blame the embassies and the members of the diplomatic corps. Mihai Gotiu:

"You have decided that the big cities, where everybody knows, including at government level, that there are large communities of Romanians, should be penalized and the polling stations there closed. We have no doubt that was a bad will on your part that you did not correctly estimate the number of ballot boxes and ballot papers needed in the big polling stations."


In reply, the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, has stated that there was no possibility to add more to the existing polling stations:

"There was no intention on Government's part to prevent in any way people from voting, but the sizing of the polling stations was decided based on the estimates made by the Romanian diplomatic missions and consulates abroad. There are no clear reports as to the number of Romanians who are living abroad."


In turn, the Liberal Florin Citu has drawn attention to the fact, that, in the future, such mistakes could be made again:

"Minister Melescanu and the governing alliance deliberately boycotted the simultaneous organization of the two ballots, by failing to observe some clear obligations, provided by law. The only authority that could supplement polling stations abroad and ensure the entire logistics for the referendum is the Foreign Ministry."

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The Foreign Minister claims that holding the referendum on justice at the same time with the European Parliament elections hampered the electoral process, and on the day of the vote, dozens of party representatives did not report to the polling stations. The minister admits, however, that the system must be changed for the people who vote abroad. Minister Teodor Melescanu:


"Based on the current legislation, there was nothing more we could do and we are ready to appear before the parliamentary commission that is to be created. Our idea is to have an extended early vote, for a period of three to seven days, which would eliminate any form of bureaucracy and which could help accelerate the voting process."


The Romanian Parliament has already set up a joint commission, which will discuss the changes that need to be brought to the electoral process in the Diaspora.



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Publicat: 2019-06-12 13:37:00
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