Starting Monday, in Bucharest, in Sectors 1 and 2, problems, statements, and evidence of irregularities in the voting process and possible fraud have emerged.
This is the third consecutive round of local elections in Sector 1, following those in 2016 and 2020, marked by tensions due to an extremely tight race where the top two competitors are separated by a very small number of votes.
Similarly, in Sector 2 of Bucharest, for the first time, we are facing a challenge to the correctness of the vote from Radu Mihaiu, the incumbent mayor supported by the United Right Alliance, who is competing against Rareș Hopincă, the representative of PSD-PNL, a former prefect of Bucharest.
On July 11, at 4:30 PM, according to official data published by the Permanent Electoral Authority, in Sector 1, the difference between the PSD-PNL candidate George Tuță and Clotilde Armand, the incumbent mayor supported by the United Right Alliance, was 595 votes out of a total of 94,757 votes cast, in favor of the government coalition representative.
In Sector 2, the difference between Rareș Hopincă, PSD-PNL, and Radu Mihaiu, United Right Alliance, was 728 votes out of a total of 118,074 votes cast.
In both sectors, throughout Sunday, several violations of electoral legislation were reported, with the two mayors alerting the authorities.
Radu Mihaiu: Fear of Accurate Counting
"I have only requested the correct counting of votes at the Sector Electoral Office because the verification keys are not sealed in over 60% of polling stations," announced Radu Mihaiu to the public, through a Facebook post made on June 10.
Closing a key, in electoral language, means the concordance between the parallel count made by a party in a voting section and the data recorded in the minutes from that section, sent to the Electoral Office.
"I came here a few hours ago, alone, to see how the process unfolds and if people need anything. The opponent is present with a group of supporters who incite and shout," said Mayor Radu Mihaiu.
It should be noted that neither Radu Mihaiu nor Clotilde Armand have acknowledged defeat, even though their opponents have claimed victory, despite the very close score.
The Most Violent Elections Since 1990
Similar situations to those in Bucharest have been reported in other polling centers as well, but due to the high political tension in the capital, many violations of the country's laws are no longer in the public eye.
In the commune of Râmnicelu, Buzău County, "the president of a polling station would have stamps used in the voting process and several ballot papers in her bag, raising suspicions about the legality of the voting. Immediately after receiving the notification, a complex team was dispatched to the scene to verify the reported issues," as stated in a report by the Police, quoted by Campus TV.
Violence erupted in the commune, with political factions getting into conflict and throwing stones. Law enforcement intervention was necessary to restore calm.
Throughout Sunday, violent incidents, attempted vote theft, and electoral tourism were reported, considered by many political commentators to be the most violent elections since 1990.
Recounting is an Exception, Not a Rule in Close Races
There is no legal provision in Romania's electoral legislation for an immediate manual recount of votes in electoral races where the difference between the number of votes obtained by the top two candidates is within a range of less than one percent.
In Law 208 of 2015, which regulates the voting process, at article 12, letter "i," it is stated that one of the Central Electoral Office's responsibilities is:
In reality, in races where the candidates are very close, Parliament delegates the decision on recounting to judges and does not impose a thorough and mandatory recount by political actors and citizens.
The lack of trust in the vote and state institutions stems from the flawed and biased organization of elections, the absence of fair procedures, and institutional opacity.
No political party has desired a transparent electoral process with as few opportunities for fraud as possible. All changes over the years have been made under pressure from citizens and European institutions.
An Error of 333 Votes
"I believed that the situation in Sector 2 could be resolved in a civilized manner, but the abuses are already unacceptable. We are filing a criminal complaint against the Sector 2 Electoral Office for abuse of office and incitement to forgery," stated Radu Mihaiu, Mayor of Sector 2.
On June 11, Radu Mihaiu, still the mayor of Sector 2, came before the public and presented a minutes from a voting section where the commission members, "by mistake," attributed the 333 votes received by the current mayor to the SOS candidate, the party of Senator Diana Șoșoacă.
All commission members admitted their mistake in a written report and requested the Sector 2 Electoral Office to rectify it, but the judges refused, postponing the publication of the reason for the refusal so that the aggrieved parties could appeal to a higher court.
It should also be noted that the SOS representative, who received 333 votes as a gift, did not receive a higher number of votes in any other voting section in Sector 2, according to official data.
From one voting section, according to a document presented to the public by Clotilde Armand, 196 votes went missing.
In voting section 144 in Bucharest, 657 registered voters cast their ballots. The number of valid votes was 450, with 11 votes invalidated. Therefore, 196 votes were not recorded. Meaning the minutes are not legal.
DOCUMENT. What an "unsealed" minutes looks like. The data in it is not verified. It is missing 196 votes - Source: Facebook/ Clotilde Armand
Iohannis Adds Fuel to the Fire
Moreover, Clotilde Armand released a minutes in which she states that her votes and those of former mayor Daniel Tudorache from a section in Sector 1 were transferred "by pen" to AUR.
If the authorities refuse to recount the votes in electoral races where the candidates are very close, political tensions will increase, and citizens' distrust in elections and democratic institutions will decrease even further, with serious consequences for Romania's security and independence.
Furthermore, the upcoming electoral campaigns for this year, the presidential and parliamentary elections, will be heavily affected.
As if adding fuel to the fire, Klaus Iohannis, in the midst of the scandal, came out publicly, announcing that the elections were fair.
"In my opinion, even though there were a few incidents, the elections went well, and the results speak for themselves. You remember that there was a big debate in the public space about whether this coalition is good for Romania or not, I think this time we received an answer directly from the voters, who in a very large proportion, almost 50%, voted for the common list presented by the Coalition," stated Klaus Iohannis, the President of Romania.