Save Romania Union (USR) Chair Elena Lasconi draws attention to the fact that, according to the regulations on the organization of the May 4 presidential election, the polls abroad will close on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Romania time, which, she argues, represents „a discrimination and a serious violation of the right to vote”. Therefore, Lasconi considers that the People’s Advocate should promptly notify the Constitutional Court on this.

„At 9:00 p.m. in Bucharest, the time in Los Angeles is 11:00 a.m., in Montreal it is 2:00 p.m. We are witnessing discrimination and a serious violation of the right to vote of Romanian expats,” the USR leader wrote on Facebook on Thursday, stressing that PSD Chairman Marcel Ciolacu received „very few” votes from the diaspora and that Thursday’s decision represents „a measure against the voters abroad and their options”, which prevented Ciolacu from making it to the second round.

„The People’s Advocate should urgently notify the Constitutional Court. I demand that Marcel Ciolacu and Electoral Authority head Toni Grebla come out publicly to explain why the polling stations should be open for a Romanian in Japan for longer than for a Romanian in the U.S.? These changes will anger people even more and fuel the extremist wave. Just stop it!,” Lasconi wrote.

On Thursday, the government approved May 4 as the date of the presidential election, with the campaign period beginning on February 18. The Executive also decided that voting abroad shall take place over three days, with polling stations closing on May 4 at 9:00 p.m. Romania, not local time, as so far.

AGERPRES