MAI: Approx. 20,000 policemen, gendarmes and firemen ensure polling stations guard and protection

Approximately 20,000 policemen, gendarmes, border policemen, firemen and workers with other operating structures will ensure the guard and protection of the 18,748 polling stations nationwide on Sunday. 

"Nationwide public order will be ensured by over 13,800 ministry employees, and other 3,600 specialists are prepared to verify and solve with celerity the notifications on possible electoral incidents. In this regard, a guide was drawn up inside the MAI with the main legal provisions applicable to the election process, a guide that has been sent in due time to all structures. Overall, on Sunday, for the conduct of the election process in maximum security conditions, approximately 37,000 Interior Ministry employees will be mobilised," MAI Spokesperson Monica Dajbog told a press conference on Friday. 

She pointed out that, in the context of Sunday's presidential election, the MAI has as main priority the conduct in public safety conditions of the ballot nationwide. 

Dajbog said that in terms of organisation, all terms provided in the calendar had been observed. The materials needed for voting had been distributed under guard in each county, and they were to remain guarded until they reached the polling stations. All materials were to be taken over on Saturday by the presidents of the electoral bureaus of polling stations. She brought to mind that, within the polling stations, according to law, the presidents of the electoral bureaus of polling stations are in charge with the organisation and public order measures required for the ballot to be conducted in good conditions. 

The MAI Spokesperson added that on Sunday, voters can vote at the polling station where the street or locality of domicile or residence is distributed, and the elector who on the day of voting is in a different administrative-territorial unit than the one of domicile or residence can vote at any polling station in the respective locality. 

"Romanian citizens can exercise their right to vote based on one of the following identity documents: identity card, provisional identity card, identity passbook, diplomatic passport, service passport, electronic service passport and, in the case of pupils of military schools, military passbook. In Romania, the simple passport, the electronic simple passport and the temporary simple passport can only be used to vote by the Romanian citizens who have their domicile abroad, but vote in Romania. These three types of passport can also be used by the Romanian citizens voting abroad," the MAI Spokesperson explained. 

Monica Dajbog brought to mind that in this election process, as well, the information system of turnout monitoring and illegal voting prevention is used. 

"To come to the aid of the citizens who want to vote, but don't have valid identity documents, the Directorate for People's Record and Database Administration recommended the county services and the Directorate in Bucharest to attend the public on the days of Saturday and Sunday as well, as follows: November 9, from 8:00 to 16:00, and November 10, from 7:00 to 21:00," Monica Dajbog also said.