Romania’s acting premier proposes simultaneous snap and local elections in June

Sursa: INQUAM/George Călin

Romania’s acting Premier, Ludovic Orban, says that the country could hold both local and parliamentary at the end of June as he moves to capitalize on public support and a good result in a recent opinion poll.

Orban made the proposal Monday at a meeting where he presented “a slightly updated” governing program and the same Cabinet as his previous one.

 Parliament voted to remove his Liberal minority government on Feb. 5. The Social Democrats, Romania’s biggest party, brought a no-confidence motion against the Liberals for trying to change electoral laws without public debate ahead of municipal elections in June.

After Orban’s government was ousted, though, President Klaus Iohannis nominated him again and tasked him with forming a Cabinet.

The Social Democratic Party, which is doing badly in the polls, opposes an early vote and will likely not approve Orban’s Cabinet in Parliament.  It is uncertain whether Orban will get the votes he needs.

The Liberals do not have a majority in Parliament but scored 47% in a recent opinion poll, and want to push for a snap poll. Parliamentary elections are due at the end of the year.

Parliament ousted the previous Social Democrat government in October. Orban took office in November.

Orban said his proposal of holding simultaneous elections would need to be approved by the Constitutional Court. Romania has never held snap elections in the last 30 years since communism ended.

“Most probably, elections will be on June 14, or on June 21 at the latest,” he told B1 TV.

Acting Social Democrat chairman, Marcel Ciolacu, may seek to delay the process by instructing his lawmakers to boycott Parliament. The party will likely file a complaint to the Constitutional Court on the grounds it is unlawful to nominate Orban to the post of premier after his ouster.

But Orban said: “This delaying process makes them look ridiculous.”

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