Romania goes to the polls in three weeks to chose a new government. For the first time, a direct voting system (the so-called uninimonal) is being used in place of proportional representation.
Or is it?
We studied this so called ‘direct voting’ system yesterday and noticed that it is not a direct voting system at all.
Candidates who win the popular vote in their constituencies are not guaranteed that they will take the seat, and there will in fact by tens of cases were the candidate finishing second – or even third – in the constituency will take the seat in parliament.
In some cases, even if a candidate wins 50 per cent of the vote he or she may not be allowed to take the seat (because one party cannot take all the seats in a county).
We assume the general public simply does not understand this? Or do they just not care?
What we find worst of all is that the system is the work of the so-called Asociatia Pro Democratia, an NGO.
Here are just a few of the anomalies we will face come November 30:
1. There is still a parliamentary threshold. This means that if the people of Satu Mic vote for Ion Nebunu’ of the Romanian Monster Raving Looney Party to serve as their MP, he would not be able to do so if his party didn’t break the nationwide threshold.
2. A candidate winning the most votes in a constituency will not always win the seat.
3. Candidates of one party cannot win all seats in a county even if that’s what the people of that county vote for.
4. Fundamentally, voters are still electing lists (see the table on pages 3-4 of the document we link to below), the names of which are set by the overall performance of the parties in the county.
This is not direct voting.
There’s an explanation of this obscenely dishonest and complicated ‘uninominal‘ here.
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And welcome back, for a few days your url was out and I thought that you decided to end it.
I’m gonna advertise it in my YM status and E-bay page so that you can get more visitors and keep those articles coming
I’m the general public. And actually I don’t give a sh** on their uninominal and generally speaking on their talk and promises. I saw that in my area PSD put Dan Voiculescu as candidate and I’m gonna vote for him because two years ago when I was in University (ASE) – Dan Voiculescu came together with Gabriela Vranceanu Firea and (currently director of Antena 3 TV channel or something, anyway she was presenting the news back then) and she was wearing some weird make-up like a ghost and I couldn’t help it and I told her on the stairs that she looks like she’s made of plastic. And Dan Voiculescu was upset, he told me “that’s no way to speak to a lady”.
I don’t know who the other candidates are, they might be good people but I can’t be sure so I’m voting for Dan Voiculescu, at least he’s done something in his life. Whether he’s gonna be installed after he’s elected or so, that’s not my problem, it’s their system – let them count.
The real stake of these elections: will Gigi Becali be elected or not. Either way, at least for a few days we’re gonna have a show on OTV and B1 TV.
About the well-being of the country… no matter who comes in power he knows damn well what he has to do. The stack of cards is mixed in Bruxelles, we only draw what’s on top when our turn comes.
I was so naive to think that Basescu and his gang will have the slightest concern about anything else than their pockets…
Indeed the stack of cards is mixed in Bruxelles but in 2011 it seems to me that kings and aces are gone and for whatever’s left – players will only draw when they feel like it.
That was my first comment in this blog
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