A new electoral code for Romania?

Asociatia Pro Democratia is pleased to announce the launching of its Electoral Code proposal. Asociatia Pro Democratia (APD) is a Romanian non-governmental, non-profit and non-party affiliated organization established in 1990. APD currently has 31 clubs in which more that 1200 citizens (members and volunteers) participate in implementing its projects. The mission of Asociatia Pro Democratia is to strengthen democracy in Romania by encouraging civic participation.

Proposal

The draft, elaborated by APD experts, consists of a series of solutions aimed at reforming the Romanian electoral legislation. The Electoral Code draft is a unique document that includes proposals that would regulate the organization and holding of both the national elections (be it local, parliamentary or presidential elections) and the elections for the European Parliament. By the same token, the draft makes proposals for the holding of referenda. The APD Electoral Code seeks to confer the electoral procedures with a higher degree of correctness in the act of voting, with a higher level of efficiency and credibility of the electoral bodies involved in this process, as well as with a higher level of transparency in the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns.

Political parties

At the same time, APD greets the founding of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate Joint Commission on Drafting Legislative Proposals Concerning the Election of the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, the President, the local public authorities elections, the financing of the electoral campaigns and the elections of the MEPs and hopes for an efficient and effective collaboration with its members. In this respect, APD’s president, Cristian Pirvulescu, submitted an official letter to the presidents of PD, PNL, PSD, UDMR and PC in which he encouraged the parliamentary political parties to take into consideration the proposal drafter by APD.

Aim

We thus hope that our advocacy activities will eventually determine the improvement of the way elections are organized and managed in Romania, so as to serve the citizen's interest.

Cristian Bratu, Asociatia Pro Democratia, Timisoara

This article was published in Politeia Newsletter 43 - October 2006