Romania’s centrist minority government will postpone a June local election as the coronavirus outbreak ruled out the optimum conditions for such an exercise, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said Monday
Romania which has suffered more than 4,000 virus infections and 158 deaths, declared a state of emergency on March 16 and enforced a lockdown last month.
It is due to hold local elections in late June and a parliamentary elections in November.
“We are postponing elections, and we will take a decision (about when). The procedures are simplified and will delay (the current) mandates until December 31 at the latest,” said Orban, who heads the Liberal Party.
Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan said: “It’s obvious that electoral campaigns can’t be carried out is this crisis situation, and elections should be organized in a context where things are certain from an epidemiological point of view.”
Also Monday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said the state of emergency he declared on March 16, would be extended another month, until mid-May. Under the lockdown, people’s movements have been restricted.
Schools, universities, malls and churches are closed, and people are allowed to go out for basic shopping, work, urgent medical problems or to help elderly and vulnerable people.
