The 2009 presidential elections in Romania were frauded, found the Romanian Parliament’s special inquiry committee, which has investigated how they were organized and held.

The committee published on Wednesday, September 6, its preliminary report showing the then president and 2009 elections winner Traian Basescu and the Democratic Party (PD) Government led by former prime minister Emil Boc favored the election fraud.

The difference between the two presidential candidates, Mircea Geoana of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Traian Basescu, formerly of PD, was so small that the latter’s actions influenced the outcome of the poll. Romania’s Intelligence Service (SRI) and the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) helped hide the facts, according to the preliminary report.

The Government at that time revoked Interior Ministry Dan Nica, a PSD member, right before the elections, after the PSD-PD alliance breakup. This was done with the intention to fraud the vote, according to the report. In addition, the Government led by Emil Boc revoked 20 prefects on the same day replacing them with people proposed by Vasile Blaga, a member of the then Democratic Party (PD).

The committee will send the report to the Prosecutor’s Office, which will decide whether to prosecute former president Traian Basescu, who is now a member of the Parliament. The Opposition challenged the report saying that it presented no evidence to support the conclusions.

Several party leaders were heard by the inquiry committee but the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) refused to appear before the committee. The whole scandal about the possible fraud at the 2009 presidential elections started after an article published by journalist Dan Andronic, who claimed he participated in a private dinner event at former interior minister Gabriel Oprea’s house on the night of the elections, at which Laura Codruta Kovesi, at that time Romania’s general prosecutor, and the director and deputy director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) were also present discussing about the poll outcome.

Romanian prosecutors close case on 2009 presidential elections

editor@romania-insider.com