Update: Post-election fraud scandal continues in Bucharest: Social Democrats ask for elections to be repeated
The scandal related to alleged electoral fraud in the Bucharest local elections continues after the Social Democrats asked for the annulment of the elections on Sunday, September 27. They want new elections and accuse the Save Romania…
Andrei Chirileasa · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
The scandal related to alleged electoral fraud in the Bucharest local elections continues after the Social Democrats asked for the annulment of the elections on Sunday, September 27. They want new elections and accuse the Save Romania Union (USR) of tampering with the votes.
Their allegations are based on videos captured by a surveillance camera in a room at the District 1 Electoral Office, where the bags with the ballots were placed after the elections. The videos show several men entering the room, searching for something in the bags, and taking a bag out of the room. Antena 3 news channel, close to the PSD, aired the videos on Wednesday evening and commented that the people in the room with the ballots were from Save Romania Union (USR).
The Social Democrats immediately reacted and called for the annulment of the elections, arguing that the videos were proof of election fraud. The calls came from former District 1 mayor Daniel Tudorache, former Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea, and PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu.
"I do not ask for a recount. It's a joke! I demand new elections," Tudorache said.
"At night, like thieves! Shocking images! Proven fraud! USR-Plus members rummage in the ballot box. They even take bags out of the room. If we organized the elections in such a criminal way, everyone would be on the street! Things can't stay that way! All international bodies must be informed! The elections must be repeated!!" Gabriela Firea wrote on Facebook on Wednesday evening.
Clotilde Armand, the USR-PLUS and PNL candidate for the District 1 mayor position, said on Wednesday that Antena 3's allegations were fake news, and that the images captured by video surveillance cameras were from the night of the elections when the votes were counted. She said she notified the audiovisual watchdog CNA and accused Antena 3 of manipulation. Clotilde Armand also accused Daniel Tudorache and PSD of electoral fraud in the days after the election after a PSD candidate for the city council was found carrying 473 ballot minutes. The Police and prosecutors started an investigation into this matter.
Update: The District 1 Electoral Office (BES), headed by prosecutor Nicolae Sprincu, issued a press statement on Thursday to explain the situation. Spincu says no ballot bag was removed from the room and that the images were interpreted in a misleading way, according to
