#2019PresidentialElection/ Tariceanu: We are witnessing perfectly anonymous elections; this is a serious democratic deficit

ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats) leader Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said on Saturday that, for the first time in the past 30 years, the presidential election unfolded "perfectly anonymously, without an election campaign," which represents "a serious democratic deficit in Romania." "Fort the first time after 30 years we have witnessed elections that basically unfolded perfectly anonymously, without an election campaign, without the debates that are so necessary for the voters to know about each candidate's programme and then vote rationally, based on the electoral offer the respective candidates made. This is a serious democratic deficit and that's why I am going to make a proposal to change the electoral law of such a manner to ensure visible election campaigns, by all means, so that the voters be able to know the electoral programme of each candidate," said Tariceanu, after he voted on Sunday at a polling station at the "Mihai Eminescu" Seniors' Club. He added that he doesn't have too high expectations related to the election, "precisely because this democratic deficit Romania is facing right now." "But we will see, we will wait until tonight, for the election ballot boxes to close at 21:00 and for the result and then I will say more," stated the ALDE leader. Calin Popescu-Tariceanu added that he was glad too see Romanians abroad exercising their vote "in the most civilized conditions." "But I was still glad too see that, after the proposals that I made and were adopted in relation to the early voting, over several days, I saw that Romanians abroad were able to exercise their voting right in more civilised conditions - some of them directly, others through correspondence - and I am glad that I succeeded this, to return to a normal situation and give all voters the possibility to exercise this democratic right that they have. Too bad that the numbers are rather small at this point, but I hope that the numbers will increase today in what concerns the Romanians who vote abroad," said the ALDE leader. He came to vote with his wife and son. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Popescu, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)