Romanians protest handling of the first round of the presidential election abroad

Thousands of protesters gathered in several Romanian cities on Saturday evening condemning the conditions of the November 2 first round of the presidential election for voters abroad. They used social media to claim solidarity with the Romanian emigrants from Europe who couldn’t vote in normal conditions the previous week and chanted anti-governmental slogans. Thousands of Romanians have protested in Cluj, Timisoara, Iași, Constanta, Ramnicu Valcea, Sibiu and Bucharest, while hundreds have made their voices heard in London, Dublin and Paris.

According to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from November 9, approximately 800 employees have been assigned for the polling stations abroad to assist the second round of the presidential election.

Also, president Traian Basescu called for the immediate dismissal of Foreign Affairs Minister Titus Corlatean, whom he accuses of missinforming and of attempting to prevent Romanians abroad from voting, informs Agerpres news wire. Moreover, Basescu claims that Corlatean misinformed when he asserted he could not increase the number of polling stations abroad. The minister had issued a media statement on November 7, saying he ‘legally could not increase the number of polling stations abroad, although the BEC [Central Electoral Bureau] authorized it by its Decision No. 4H of November 4 2014, published in the Official Gazette,’ the release pointed out, quoted by Agerpres.

How the protests are seen in international press

“25 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, another type of barrier is being brought down in Romania. After countless irregularities and problems prevented expatriate Romanian citizens from casting their vote in the first round of the presidential elections, protests broke out across the country demanding the authorities dismantle the blockade imposed on electoral rights”, writes EU Activ.

“The announcement came after about 5,000 people gathered in the city Cluj in northwestern Romania late Saturday, and hundreds turned out in Bucharest, Constanta and other cities shouting “Get out and vote!” On Sunday a few hundred gathered in Bucharest and elsewhere to protest for a second day. They yelled “Klaus, Klaus, help us get rid of Mickey Mouse!” the nickname for Prime Minister Victor Ponta”, reports ABC News.

“Protesters in the capital Bucharest and the western cities of Cluj and Timisoara called for Prime Minister Victor Ponta to resign, saying he had failed to ensure all citizens could exercise their right to vote”, informs Reuters UK.

“In a country with a large diaspora—and one that can influence elections—the lack of polling stations in other countries, such as France and Germany, struck a chord, prompting demonstrators to fill the streets of the capital city of Bucharest as well as the Western cities of Cluj and Timisoara, a historical site of political uprising. The Romanian diaspora is estimated at roughly 4 million, but not all can vote”, explains Mashable.com.

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