PNL's Gorghiu: PNL filed complaint with Gov't for two-round local elections

Co-chair of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Alina Gorghiu told a news conference on Friday in Cluj-Napoca that her party filed a complaint with the Government for holding two-round local elections this year. 

"We have managed today to file with the Secretariat General of the Government a complaint for two-round local elections, prerequisite for starting administrative court action. We try to meet the deadline that is already short so that we may reach our objective to have two-round local elections, which entails democracy, representation and legitimacy for the locally elected and even makes [electoral] competition in Romania easier," said Gorghiu. 

She argued that one-round elections would only replace 15-17 percent of Romania's incumbent mayors, whereas a two round would give a renewal proportion of up to 70 percent. 

At the same news conference, PNL CO-Chair Vasile Blaga said incumbent Cluj-Napoca Mayor Emil Boc, not attending the conference, will run for re-election on PNL's tickets. 

Gorghiu told a news conference on Thursday in Satu Mare that PNL will open an administrative court case next week to challenge a decision of the government on this year's elections, in order to have two-round local elections introduced in the legislations. 

"Yesterday, the Government published the secondary legislation for the elections - June 5 is the election day according to the latest decision of the Ciolos Cabinet; given the unveiled calendar, we are informing you that next week, after a convention of our National Political Bureau, we will start off the procedures for challenging the decision in an administrative court so that we may plead the unconstitutionality of electing mayors in one-round elections. There is no democracy in Romania if we fail to get two-round elections," said Gorghiu. AGERPRES