Romania Heads Into Lacklustre European Election

With one month to go before European elections in Romania, the candidates of 15 parties and alliances and eight independent candidates are gearing up to compete for the elections on 25 May.

Romania will have 32 seats in the future European Parliament, compared to 33 at present.

Most of the lists of candidates are led by standing MEPs or by relatives and friends of the political elite.

Current MEPs likely to be re-elected include Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s wife, Daciana Sarbu, and the wife of the National Liberal Party President, Crin Antonescu, Adina Valean.

Also among the names running for posts in the parliament are those of former Romanian prime ministers Theodor Stolojan and Mihai Razvan Ungureanu and three former ministers, Monica Macovei, Ecaterina Andronescu and Iuliu Winkler.

One of the independent candidates standing for election is Iulian Capsali, a Romanian Orthodox priest, who is campaigning against abortion and “homosexual culture”.

Analysts say the lack of a clear agenda on the part of most candidates, as well as a perception of clientism and corruption, is likely to contribute to a lack of interest by voters.

None of the political forces involved appear to see the elections as a way to discuss key European issues but rather as a test before the presidential election, to be held later this year.

European elections have been marked by a high degree of absenteeism in Romania.  Only 27 per cent of Romanians voted in the European elections of 2009, compared to a European average of 43 per cent.

Romania is to spend about 34 million euro on organizing the elections for the European Parliament this year, 50 per cent more than was spent in 2009. Funding for this year’s elections has...