Officially start for local elections campaign

Local elections will be held on June 10 in a single round and at stake are mayors, presidents of county councils and local councilors in 41 counties, plus Bucharest, over 300 cities and more than 2,500 villages.

Approximately one million of young people of majority in the electoral cycle that is ending will vote for the first time in a local election.

The main actors of the local elections are considered major candidates for mayor of village, town or city.

The Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy, Adrian Moraru, explains this by the fact that the electorate expects the mayor to resolve any issues of local interest, sanitation, water networks, roads, transportation, public lighting and public safety.

"In law, normally these things are not approved by the mayor, but the City Council approves them; so, eventually, the highest power most likely belongs to the local councilors, but in our country, traditionally, the branch leader is the one who candidates for mayor and not for the local councilor or the leader of the majority of local council, and then from this political overlay over the administrative responsibilities, in general, in Romania, all are expected from mayors "says the Director of the Institute for Public Policy, Adrian Moraru.

For the first time, mayors will be elected in one round.

The voting system has been applied in previous elections for county board president.

"The presidents of county councils have personalized through some impersonal institutions, as institutions should be. They have become private institutions. It is a step back, made by Romania in the last four years, not forward , as they were interested in their image and that type of policy that favors rather than public policy and, yes, they made every effort to be known, that does not mean that administration quality has improved, but only the fact that the presidents of county councils were turned into political forces, "Cristian Pârvulescu, the president of Pro-Democracy.

For the functions of local or county councilor, is further running as independent or on the party list.

Counselor mandates are divided proportionally to the votes obtained by each party.

The order mandates distribution of local or county councilor depends on the order of candidates on the list.

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University