The scenario of combining local and parliamentary offices exists and is being discussed at the coalition level, President Klaus Iohannis confirmed on Thursday.

Klaus Iohannis, Marcel Cholaku and Nicolae Chuke in KotrochenyPhoto: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea

The head of state says that there is a possibility of postponing local elections until the date of the parliaments.

Consolidation of elections is discussed in the parties. This is a constitutionally possible option, but it is impossible to bring the parliaments closer together, but local ones can be postponed. Whether this will be a solution or not, we will see along the way. (…)Normally in 2024 we would have many elections. This is reality. Four series of elections in a year is a problem. We would constantly be in electoral competition, with campaigns, disputes on TV, in social networks. For the media, it would be a festival, but for Romanians, I don’t know if it will be a festival,” said Iohannis.

On April 6, PNL General Secretary Lucian Bode announced the creation of a working group to analyze the option of combining local and general elections at a party leadership meeting.

After the PNL meeting, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucé explained that the Liberals’ decision was based on the fact that “a proportion of the majority of Romanians want to reduce the number of elections”, and this was based on the party’s sociological analysis.

“This is a proposal that we discussed at today’s meeting, and we decided that at the level of specialists in the party, what are the elements of legality for such a measure, considering that according to the conducted polls, the majority wants to reduce the number of elections. From the experience of what has happened over the years, with the campaign and the election itself, we can see as simply as possible that the activity will be busy with the conduct of this very large number of elections. If there is a legal possibility to reduce the number of elections, we will find a solution,” Chuke said.

According to polls commissioned by the PNL, 67% of those polled would agree with unification of elections, while 64% would claim that they would not have any difficulties due to the large number of ballots.

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