Romania's AEP proposes new rules for early parliamentary elections

The Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) has launched a public consultation on a draft law designed to regulate the technical organization of potential early parliamentary elections in Romania. The initiative aims to resolve a legal discrepancy between current electoral laws and the Romanian Constitution, which requires elections to be held within three months of Parliament's dissolution.

To meet this constitutional window, the proposed legislation suggests shortening several administrative deadlines. Key provisions include requiring the Government to adopt decisions regarding the election date, budget, and organizational measures within five days of dissolution. Additionally, the public announcement of the election date would be reduced to at least 75 days before voting.

The draft also proposes easing the requirements for candidates by reducing the number of necessary signatures by half, while maintaining the standard 30-day electoral campaign period. For voters abroad, registration for polling stations and postal voting would begin three days after Parliament is dissolved, with postal voting registration closing 45 days before the election. The AEP emphasized that this is a technical measure intended to ensure constitutional compliance and does not represent a political stance on whether early elections should occur.