Parvulescu: Despite fraud charges, elections will keep Romania on EU track

The allegations of fraudulent practices during the 28 November
elections in Romania were not completely unfounded, reveals a
leading pro-democracy activist in Bucharest in an interview with
EURACTIV Romania.

According to Cristian Parvulescu, president of the Pro
Democratia Association in Bucharest, the 28 November elections were
marked by fraudulent practices due in part to the absence of strict
controls on potential multiple voting and other ballot-rigging
methods. “Since the law does not allow for fraud to be clearly
proven, neither the observers nor the electoral bureaus are able to
establish if a citizen did or did not vote in more than one place,
as there is no formal and clear ban on mayors forcefully
mobilising the citizens to vote,” Parvulescu revealed.

Parvulescu, who heads the 14-year-old watchdog organisation
dedicated to strengthening democracy in Romania, said that “under
the current conditions, a 20% fraud rate [in the 28 November vote]
appears to be not only possible but also plausible”. In his
opinion, the Romanian government has been “trying to find
improvised solutions to problematic situations” during the election
process.

Asked to spell out his predictions for the run-off vote on 12
December, Parvulescu said that while the presidential race between
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and Bucharest Mayor Traian Basescu
remains too close to call, it appears unlikely the the country
would settle for a ‘cohabitation system’ similar to that in
France. 

As for the possible impact of the election results on Romania’s
EU accession, Parvulescu said that “a change in the political
colour of the government and the president does not imply in any
way a policy transformation concerning European integration”. He
remains convinced that “absolutely all the parliamentary parties
consider EU integration a priority”.

Full interview

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