Parliamentary elections: far-right on the rise, pro-European parties retreat

The parliamentary elections taking place on Sunday, December 1, are the most tense since 1990, in light of the rise of far-right political forces close to Russia, anti-European and anti-NATO, and the retreat of pro-European parties following the result of the first round of the presidential elections, held on November 24 and in which the independent candidate Călin Georgescu, who declared himself to be anti-system, came in first with 22.4% of the votes and who will have the support of AUR and SOS in the second round of the election. That is, unless the Constitutional Court of Romania decides to annul the presidential elections of November 24, after ruling today on the appeals filed, a ruling that was postponed after the Central Electoral Bureau recounts all the votes from the first round of the presidential elections, according to the request of the CCR magistrates.

Until then, on Sunday, December 1, 18,997,710 citizens with the right to vote are called to the polls to elect the future composition of the Romanian Parliament. In order to conduct the electoral process in good conditions, the authorities decided to organize 18,968 polling stations in the country and 950 polling stations abroad (for the 989,230 Romanian citizens with the right to vote who reside in other states).

• Structure and role of the Romanian Parliament

The Romanian Parliament is a bicameral body, formed by the Chamber of Deputies, which has 329 members, and the Senate, which has 136 members. Representatives are elected by universal, free, secret and direct vote, according to the rules established in Law no. 208/2015. Representation is proportional, depending on the number of inhabitants: one deputy for every 73,000 citizens and one senator for every 168,000 citizens. The December 1 elections are important because Parliament is the country's legislative authority. The Romanian Constitution defines in Article 75 the situations in which the Chamber of Deputies is the first chamber to be notified (which discusses a draft law). In all other cases, the Senate takes over this task. For a law to be adopted, it needs the vote of both chambers. Article 65 of the Constitution shows the situations in which the two chambers meet in joint session, since most sessions are separate for each chamber of Parliament. During the joint sessions, parliamentarians vote on the Government and the government program, appoint the heads of the secret services, the judges of the Constitutional Court, the leadership of the People's Advocate institution, the management of public television and radio, the management of the ASF, the management of the NBR and the management of other public institutions of national importance. The plenary session of Parliament is the one that can dismiss the Government following the adoption of a motion of censure, the one that ratifies international treaties and can adopt decisions regarding the country's foreign policy.

• Electoral thresholds and method of assigning mandates

Elections are held in 42 electoral districts, corresponding to the 41 counties and the Municipality of Bucharest, to which is added a constituency for the diaspora. The representation norms determine the number of mandates for each constituency.

The Romanian electoral system is a proportional one. To enter Parliament, parties must exceed the electoral threshold of 5% of the national vote or at least 20% of the votes in four constituencies. For electoral alliances, the thresholds are higher, depending on the number of parties: 8% for an alliance made up of two parties; 9% for three parties; 10% for larger alliances; an independent candidate must obtain a number of votes equal to the electoral coefficient in the constituency in which he is running (i.e. the total number of votes divided by the number of mandates in that constituency).

The mandates remaining unfilled following the elections (votes received by political parties and alliances that do not pass the electoral threshold) are redistributed to the parties that managed to enter Parliament. The calculations are made according to the so-called electoral coefficient - the total number of valid votes cast in a constituency, divided by the number of mandates assigned to that constituency. In the first stage, the mandates are allocated to constituencies (counties and the municipality of Bucharest) based on the electoral coefficient. Each party that passed the electoral threshold obtains a number of mandates proportional to the votes received. After the assignment of mandates in the constituencies, there are usually unallocated mandates. These mandates are redistributed at the national level between the parties and alliances that passed the electoral threshold. The redistribution is done through a proportional system that takes into account the votes obtained by each party at the national level, in order to ensure proportional representation. In the redistribution, a mathematical formula is used that generates a set of "quotas" for each party. The remaining seats are allocated based on these quotas - the parties with the highest quota values obtain the most seats - until the seats are exhausted. The redistributed seats are assigned candidates on the respective party lists according to the order on the list and the constituency where they ran, in order to maintain regional balance of representation.

• 42 options on the ballot

The Central Electoral Office validated for Sunday's elections the lists of candidates submitted by 31 political parties and alliances, the candidates proposed by the 19 national minority organizations and one independent candidate. According to the BEC, the following parties are participating in Sunday's parliamentary elections:

1. National Liberal Party

2. Forţa Dreptei

3. Social Democratic Party

4. Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania

5. Save Romania Union

6. Alliance for the Unity of Romanians

7. United Social Democratic Party

8. Party of the Patriots of the Romanian People

9. Party Renewing the European Project of Romania

10. Alternative for National Dignity Party

11. Romanian National Conservative Party

12. Romania in Action Party

13. National Christian Alliance

14. Young People's Party

15. Romanian Ecological Party

16. Independent Social Democratic Party

17. United Pensioners Party

18. Socialist Romania

19. Justice and Respect in Europe Party

20. Health Education Nature Sustainability Party - SENS

21. S.O.S Romania Party

22. New Romania Party

23. Democratic Union of Turkish-Muslim Tatars in Romania

24. Union of Poles in Romania

25. Democratic Turkish Union in Romania

26. Czech Forum in Romania

27. Association of Albanians League in Romania

28. Bulgarian Union of Banat - Romania

29. Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania

30. Association of Roma Party "Pro-Europa"

31. Association of Macedonians in Romania

32. Community of Lipovean Russians in Romania

33. Hellenic Union in Romania

34. Democratic Union of Slovaks and Czechs in Romania

35. Cultural Union of Ruthenians in Romania

36. Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania

37. Union of Armenians in Romania

38. Union of Croats in Romania

39. Union of Serbs in Romania

40. Union of Ukrainians in Romania

41. Association of Italians in Romania - RO.AS.IT.

42. Voinea Gheorghe Sorinei (independent)

The most numerous lists were submitted by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) - 639 candidates, the S.O.S. Romania Party - 636 candidates, the National Liberal Party (PNL) - 630 candidates, the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) - 621 candidates, the Force of Justice - 619 candidates, the UDMR - 596 candidates and the Save Romania Union (USR) - 589 candidates.

• Which parties can enter the future Parliament

According to opinion polls conducted in the last month, the following political formations have the greatest chances of entering Parliament:

- Social Democratic Party (PSD) - a political formation in government in almost all legislatures since 1990. It is the successor of the National Salvation Front, formed immediately after the Romanian Revolution and is part of the family of European social democrats, supporting Romania's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. After the first round of the presidential elections, it was left without a leader, after for the first time, the candidate Marcel Ciolacu, the current prime minister, did not enter the second round.

- The National Liberal Party (PNL) - is a historical party, re-established after 1990, but which was founded at the end of the 19th century. It supports Romania's Euro-Atlantic orientation and claims to represent the interests of small entrepreneurs and the electorate from the predominantly rural environment. Since 2021, it has been in a governing coalition with the PSD. Its leader is currently Ilie Bolojan, who replaced Nicoale Ciucă, after the latter's disappointing result in the first round of the presidential elections.

- Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) - a party with a unionist, conservative and sovereignist platform. Its leader, George Simion, criticizes Ukraine and the West's support for it, and is banned from entering the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

- Save Romania S.O.S Party - is led by MEP Diana Şoşoacă, whose candidacy was rejected in the presidential elections, due to beliefs incompatible with democratic values and public anti-EU and anti-NATO discourse. It promotes sovereignty and rapprochement with the Russian Federation. Ukraine imposed sanctions against Diana Şoşoacă, after she submitted to Parliament a bill calling for Romania to annex territories located on Ukrainian territory.

- Unione Salvaţi România (USR) - is a modern center-right party, currently led by Elena Lasconi, who came in second place in the first round of the presidential elections on November 24. USR presents itself as an "anti-system" and "outside the system" party, with a liberal European program.

- Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) - represents the main party of the Hungarian minority in Romania. It is led by Kelemen Hunor, it is part of the European People's Party (EPP), which considers itself a center-right party.

- Partidul Reînnoim Proiectul Europea al România (REPER) -led by Ramona Strugariu and Dragoş Pîslaru, former USR members. The formation promises democracy, prosperity and social progress. The party campaigns for support for Ukraine, the European integration of the Republic of Moldova and Romania's membership in the EU and NATO.

- The Party of Young People (POT) - is a sovereignist, conservative political party, registered in 2023, which supports the candidacy of Călin Georgescu, who won the first round of the presidential elections. The party leader, Ana Maria Gavrilă, withdrew from AUR in 2021.

We note that, according to the law, the 19 national minorities each have one parliamentary seat in the Chamber of Deputies.

• How the election on Sunday, December 1, will be held

For the parliamentary elections, Romanian citizens can vote under the following conditions:

- In Romania: at the polling station where they are assigned, according to their domicile or residence; on the permanent lists, if they have requested registration in the Electoral Register in person or by mail, at least 45 days before the election date; on the supplementary lists, in the case of voters with a floating visa. If the voter has a floating visa, but has not registered in the Electoral Register, he can vote either at his home address on the permanent lists, or at his place of residence, on the supplementary lists, but not in both.

- Abroad, voting takes place over two days - November 30 and December 1. Only Romanian citizens with the right to vote, with domicile or residence abroad, can vote at polling stations organized abroad

Polling stations are open between 7:00 and 21:00. If at 21:00, there will be voters at the polling station headquarters, as well as in line outside the station headquarters, then the voting program will be extended until, at the latest, 23:59.

Voters who vote in the country must present their identity card at the polling station. For voting in other states, Romanian citizens with domicile abroad must present their passport with the country of domicile mentioned at the polling station, and those who only reside abroad must present their identity card or passport with a document issued by the authorities of the state in which they are located, stipulating the right to stay abroad for a period of more than 90 days.