The president of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Alina Gorghiu wants the Government to give students a day off on December 12, so they can vote in the parliamentary elections on December 11.

“December 12 is Monday, the day after the parliamentary elections. I think that the Romanian state should give a day off for students. It wouldn’t be a first for Romania or other states,” Alina Gheorghiu said on Friday, reports local News.ro.

She also proposed free transport for students in that period so that they can be present in their home cities on election day.

“It’s not an amount that would burden Romania’s budget, it’s a minimum gesture to strengthen democracy in Romania. I haven’t discussed this matter with the Government, but I hope that I find availability,” she added.

Earlier this week, the Government decided that Moldovan citizens who need to travel to vote centers in Romania on the day of the presidential elections in Moldova (November 13) get free transport.

Romania will organize parliamentary elections on December 11. Those who want to vote in the parliamentary elections, can only do it in their home city or, if they are not there, in another city located in the same county.

For example, those who are living in Bucharest can only vote in the capital if their address of residence is here (proved with residence visa on the ID), reports local Digi24. If not, they will have to go their city of residence, or to another city located in the same county.

This makes it more difficult for students to vote in the parliamentary elections. In Bucharest there are some 200,000 students, most of whom come from outside the city. In Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, and Timisoara there are also tens of thousands of students who are not officially registered in these cities.

For many of these students it's very difficult to vote. For example, a student from Baia Mare, in Northern Romania, who lives in Bucharest would have to travel some 12 hours by train to get home for the elections and another 12 hours to return.

The liberals' initiative is aimed at increasing the turnout among young voters at the parliamentary elections as the youth in Romania are generally anti-PSD. Meanwhile, some social-democrats would like to have a referendum on the same day as the elections about changing the Constitution to ban gay marriages in Romania. They hope this would bring more traditionalist voters to the polls.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com