PNL's Gorghiu: Support for two-round local elections would prove ALDE, UNPR have a spine

Co-chair of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Alina Gorghiu says support for two round local elections would show the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) and the National Union for Romania's Progress (UNPR) 'have a spine,'' arguing that one-round local elections are detrimental to the two parties. 

"The one-round elections favour large parties such as PNL and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), while disfavouring all the others. It is hard to understand why ALDE and UNPR, hugely disadvantaged by the voting system in place prefer to remain prisoners to the PSD electoral interests. Either they are suffering from the Stockholm syndrome and cannot get rid of it, or they are consciously collaborating for their own political extinction. Their support for two-round local elections would have been a good opportunity for them to show some spine; I doubt they will do it. In the end, it is their right to stay until PSD2 and PSD3 electoral rout," Gorghiu wrote on Sunday in a Facebook post. 

She added that "PSD is already losing more by preserving the one-round ballot than they would do by changing the system for the election of mayors." 

"Much as in other previous cases, PSD is treating voters like their foes, which each time was lethal," added Gorghiu. 

She also said that PSD boycotting the local elections if the two-round mayoral election system is reinstated, ''is a statement for external use,'' for the European Socialists and cannot be taken seriously, while the first to do so are the PSD mayors. 

Gorghiu is on a visit to the US through next weekend. 

Her reaction is to UNPR and ALDE having stated they favour one-round mayoral elections after national leader of PSD Liviu Dragnea said PSD might boycott the elections if the relevant piece of legislation changed. 

UNPR's national leader Gabriel Oprea said Saturday he will observe the local elections legislation as voted by all the political parties for the one-round election of mayors. 

ALDE co-chair Calin Popescu-Tariceanu argued in his turn that election legislation should not be modified to accommodate the interests of one party or another. ''We agreed last year to modify election legislation one year before the elections proper. We reached this agreement by consensus with PNL. PNL has changed tack and want to change the rules of the game. I do not find it fair for the rules to change to accommodate the particular interests of one party or another that may influence such decision," said Tariceanu.