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2016 local elections will take place on June 5
The 2016 local elections will take place on June 5, the Government decided on Wednesday.
"The Government approved six resolutions for the conduct of the local elections. The date of the local elections was confirmed at June 5," Government's spokesperson Dan Suciu reports.
Asked if two-round elections can still be held, Suciu pointed out that, from this point of view, "things are on a certain track and that they cannot go back."
"If there are elements of constitutionality that can be changed, I cannot comment, but, as far as the Government is concerned, things were settled under a Government Resolution establishing the entire calendar," Suciu added.
According to a Government release, setting the date on June 5 took into account the legal provisions according to which the election date is established by Government resolution at least 75 days before the voting and allows the local and county councillors and the mayors elected in the previous ballot to end their four-year terms.
When the legal majority is not met and where electoral fraud is found, a new ballot will be organised on Sunday, June 19.
For the smooth preparation, organisation and conduct of the local elections of 2016, 350,663,000 lei is provided from the national budget.
The amount allotted from the national budget includes the necessary funds for the payment of the members of the constituency electoral bureaus, the polling stations electoral bureaus and auxiliary staff. Before the law no 115/2015 came into force, these expenses were covered from the local budgets.
Moreover, the sum also includes the costs for implementing the information system for monitoring voter turnout and preventing illegal voting. A novelty was the introduction of computer operators at the polling stations, who will be paid from the national budget.
The Government also adopted the calendar of the electoral actions for this year's local elections. Thus, until March 26, the judges to the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) will be designated, and by March 27 the BEC chair and alternate will be elected.
Bids for the local councils, county councils and mayoralties can be filed from April 11 until April 26, then challenges can be filed, and May 4 is the date when the bids remain final.
The election campaign will start on May 6, 30 days prior to the elections, and end on June 4, at 7 a.m. On June 5, voting will start at 7 a.m. and end at 9 p.m.
Under another resolution, the Government approved the numbering of the county constituencies and of the Municipality of Bucharest, in alphabetical order by county.
Another piece of the package adopted established the standard form and printing of the ballot papers.
Moreover, the Ciolos Cabinet adopted a series of technical measures for the smooth organisation and conduct of the local elections. For the coordination and monitoring of tasks, there will be a central technical committee headed by the interior minister and made up of representatives of all public organisations with duties in organising the elections, as well as representatives of AGERPRES, Electrica Electricity Distribution and Supply Company, the Romanian Television Corporation, the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation.
The entire legislative package for the organisation and conduct of the elections will come into force on March 22, the beginning of the election period, the Government says.
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Social Democratic Party (PSD) chair Liviu Dragnea and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) co-chair Calin Popescu-Tariceanu signed on Wednesday at the Palace of Parliament a collaboration agreement for the forthcoming local elections.
According to the agreement, presented during the event by ALDE Senator and former culture minister Daniel Barbu, PSD and ALDE are convening to conclude agreements locally, where deemed necessary, for the June 2016 elections, including by means of candidates and joint lists in view of maximizing the elections results of both parties.
The agreement also stipulates that PSD and ALDE are deeming it appropriate to make up majorities in the local and county councils in view to ensure an efficient and stable local governing in the interest of citizens.
Moreover, PSD and ALDE will establish after the local elections the conditions to conclude an electoral alliance for the 2016 parliamentary elections, the agreement stipulates.
The document also states that the political alliance between social-democracy and liberalism, established in 2011 with the creation of the Social Liberal Union, won the 2012 local and parliamentary elections "by a large majority".