General elections in Romania: Election campaign starts with special rules to prevent spread of COVID-19

The election campaign for Romania’s 2020 general elections started on Friday, November 6, and will end on December 5. Thus, the political parties hoping to get most seats in the Parliament have a month to convince people to vote for them.

However, as it happened at the local elections, the campaign will be different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Although Romania has been registering record daily increases in COVID-19 cases (reporting almost 10,000 new daily cases on November 5), the president and the prime minister believe the elections can still be organized on time (on December 6).

During the campaign, the organizers of the electoral events must take several measures to prevent and control the spread of the new coronavirus. For example, people attending electoral events/meetings must keep at least one meter between them, even when the electoral event/meeting is held outdoors, according to News.ro. They will also have to disinfect their hands regularly and wear protective masks.

The rules of access and individual protection will have to be displayed in visible places in the spaces where the events/meetings take place.

A maximum of 20 people can participate in an event/meeting held in a closed space, and the event will last no more than two hours. In the case of events/meetings held outdoors, the maximum number of participants will be limited to 50.

Also, groups of maximum six people can be formed during street actions. In the case of door-to-door activities, only two-people teams are allowed.

The election campaign will end on December 5, at 07:00.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Ilona Andrei)