Dec. 1, 2024, 12:05 p.m.
Parliamentary elections started in Romania
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The Romanian parliament building. Photo: Diego Delso/Wikipedia
The Romanian parliamentary elections started on December 1 at 6:00 a.m. with the opening of polling stations, which will now close for the recount at 21:00.
According to DW, 31 political parties are currently competing for seats in the Romanian parliament.
According to Hromadske, the results of a poll on the eve of the election show that the far-right Alliance for Romanian Unity (AUR) is leading with 22.4%, slightly ahead of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) with 21.4%.
AUR has an anti-Western stance and questions Romania's need to remain a member of the EU and NATO. The party is also critical of Ukraine's support, opposed to the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through Romania, but also criticized Russia.
The center-right Union for the Preservation of Romania received 17.5%. Its leader, Elena Lasconi, will compete in the second round of the presidential election.
Next, according to the poll, is the National Liberal Party (PNL) with 13.4%, the junior coalition partner of the Social Democrats.
The Romanian Parliament consists of two chambers: The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate has 136 members, and the Chamber of Deputies has 329 seats.
Romania is a semi-presidential republic. Parliament adopts or rejects laws, appoints the government, and can dismiss it through a vote of no confidence. At the same time, the president must approve the documents that pass parliament.
Meanwhile, Romania's Central Electoral Bureau has begun a court-ordered recount of all ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election, following accusations that the winner, Kelin Georgescu, illegally used tiktok to boost his campaign.