Head of ODIHR SEAM to Romania: Lack of unified electoral code, low presence of women, main shortcomings

The absence of a unified electoral code and the amendment of some legislative provisions in the electoral field too close to the elections, as well as the low presence of women are the main shortcomings of the Romanian electoral process noted by Marianne Mikko, head of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Special Election Assessment Mission (ODIHR SEAM) to Romania. "Firstly, the absence of a unified electoral code, which would include all electoral laws in a legislative document, secondly, the low presence of women in the electoral process and in decision-making in general," Marianne Mikko told an online conference on Monday, in reply to a question on the main issues identified by the mission she leads in Romania. "There is a rather slow movement to include women to a greater extent in the political decision-making process. So the key words would be these: a single electoral code and a greater presence of women in elections," said the Estonian election expert. She added that "the pandemic has negatively affected election preparations, as the rate of COVID-19 virus infection rose sharply in November, resulting in a large number of quarantined localities and further reduced freedom of movement for both candidates and voters". The attention of international experts was also drawn by "the large number of changes in the legislative framework governing the conduct of elections together with last-minute legislative changes" which "created a climate of insecurity with a negative impact on the electoral process in general." She noted that this campaign was more dynamic online, with most candidates using Facebook and Instagram to connect with voters through political advertising, websites, social media accounts and online events. The head of the ODIHR also mentioned in the end the system of complaints and appeals, saying that it worked well during these elections adding that she and her team of experts will stay in Bucharest for another week, during which time they will work on the final analysis and recommendations, which will be published in about two months, namely at the beginning of February.AGERPRES(RO - author: Florin Stefan, editor: Mariana Ionescu; EN - author: Maria Voican, editor: Simona Iacob)