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Romania

Franchise & Registration

  • Franchise Age: 18
  • Compulsory Vote: Not compulsory
  • Eligibility Exception: mentally deficient or alienated persons laid under interdiction and those disenfranchised pursuant to a final court decision
  • Registration Type: Automatic registration
  • Registration Basis: Residence requirement
  • Registration Flexibility: 45

Election Management & Enforcement

  • Nameof EMB: Permanent Electoral Authority
  • Independent EMB: No
  • EMBNominations: 3 members selected by the Legislature, President, Prime Minister. Expert based membership.
  • EMBTenure: 8 years
  • Who Runs Election: Election Management Body
  • Nameof Elect Enforcement Body: Administrative Division of the Court of Appeals

Candidacy & Campaign Rules

  • Restrictto Candidacy: Candidate registration was open and inclusive. A total of 2,457 candidates from 12 parties or electoral alliances and 18 national minority organizations, as well as 12 independent candidates, were registered. According to the Constitution, each citizen with the right to vote can stand for election if s/he meets the minimum age requirements of 23 years for election to the Chamber of Deputies or 33 for election to the Senate. High-level public servants are only allowed to stand for election if they resign before registering as candidates. Candidates can be nominated by political parties, political and electoral alliances, coalitions, and organizations representing national minorities, or can run independently. Political parties and their coalitions can only nominate one person in each single-member district. There is no requirement that the candidate be from the district s/he is running in or to have any connection to that district. No candidate can stand in more than one single-member district, except for candidates from organizations representing national minorities who can run in all districts. Prospective independent candidates need to collect supporting signatures of at least four per cent of voters in the voter lists in the single-member district where they wish to stand (or in a given country when running for a single-member district abroad), but no less than 2,000 signatures for the Chamber of Deputies and 4,000 signatures for the Senate. A voter can only give his/her signature in support of one prospective independent candidate for either chamber of the parliament.
  • Debate Average: 1
  • Debate Format: Two candidates, 2014. However, the runoff campaign lacked a grand presidential debate aired on national television, like in 2004 and 2009. Instead, two semi-improvised debates were hosted by commercial broadcasters.
  • Campaign Length Average: 30
  • Opinion Polls Embargo: Embargo for longer

Electoral System & Organisation

  • Elect System Main Election: Majority
  • Main Election Type: Presidential
  • Main Election Cycle: 5
  • Numb Round Main Election: Two
  • Referenda_Law: Constitution of Romania Article 90: The President of Romania may, after consultation with Parliament, ask the people to express, by referendum, its will on matters of national interest.
  • Referenda_Binding: Always Binding
  • Voting Machine: None
  • Vote IDRequired: ID check compulsory
  • Polling Card: Polling card sent but not compulsory
  • National Holiday Elect Day: Never
  • Dayof Election: Sunday
  • Districting Flexibility: existing regional/provincial/other boundaries are used. Art. 10. – For the organisation of elections, they shall set up constituencies at the level of the 41 counties, one constituency in the municipality of Bucharest, and one separate constituency for the Romanians with the domicile or residence outside the country. The total number of constituencies shall be of 43.

Polling Station

  • Average Voterby Polling Station: 843
  • Normal Opening Time Poll Station: 700
  • Normal Closing Time Poll Station: 2100
  • Polling Station Numbers: 21706
  • Listof Polling Station Buildings: public buildings
  • Accessibility Requirement: Party to UNCRPD
  • Box Feeding System: Voter
  • Vote Receipt: No receipt
  • Count Locallyor Centrally: locally
  • Manualor Automatic Count: manual
  • Nature Counting Personnel: electoral bureau members

Ballot Paper

  • Ballot Type: Paper
  • Singleor Multi Paper Ballot: Single
  • Ballot Paper Type Description: Every voter receives a booklet and a stamp in exchange to his/her passport. The complete ranking of candidates of every party is given in the booklet. Voters stamp next to their party's symbol.
  • Ballot Paper Type Photo Upload: YES
  • Ballot Logos: Freely Allowed
  • Orderof Candidatesor Parties: random

Remote Voting

  • Remote Voting List: mobile polling stations
  • Mobile Polling Stations: Yes

Special Needs

  • Provision Illiterate Voters: Ballot Paper with Symbols
  • Provision Linguistic Ethnic Minorites: information available in other languages
  • Provision Blind Voters: assisted voting
  • Provision Deaf Voters: assisted voting
  • Provision Motor Handicap Voters: Law no. 35/2008: Regulations on the Elections to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Article 42, paragraph 22(1) states: For the electors who cannot be transported on grounds of illness or invalidity, the president of the electoral bureau of the polling station may approve, following their written request, accompanied of the copy of medical documents or other official documents attesting the fact that the respective persons cannot be transported, that a team formed of at least 2 members of the electoral bureau goes, with a special ballot box and with the material needed for the vote…to the place where the elector is, in order to carry out the vote.
  • Over Representation Vuln Group: Reserved Communal Seats - 19 seats for small minorities. Exemption of election threshold for 18 recognised minorities.

Targeted Initiatives

  • Recent Major Changes: The presidential term length was changed from 4 to 5 years in 2003 following a constitutional referendum.
  • Transparency Initiative: Each ballot is read and recorded on the form set by the president, assisted by other members of the electoral commission

Inclusivity Provisions