The general Parliamentary elections will be held on December 11, according to a decision passed by the Government. The Government also approved additions to the electoral legislation, in order to facilitate the exercise of the right to vote for the Romanian citizens residing abroad.

Four ministers have been reshuffled by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, to stimulate a more efficient minsterial activity and projects development. “The ministers worked well on certain projects, but on others there were delays , there are things that can be done better and faster in the next period and this is why I decided to operate on these changes, for a new vibe and more accelerated rhythm of the government team”, Ciolos explains. He also added that other changes are possible in the next period.

Education, Communications, and Romanians abroad were the ministries targeted by Ciolos, whereas the minister of Transport resigned. The nominations for the new ministers were approved by President Iohannis, and on 7th of July, Mircea Dumitru (Education), Sorin Buse (Transport), Maria Ligor (Relationship with the Romanians Abroad) took their vows at the Presidency.

The final form of the giving in payment law that will extinguish obligations from mortgage loans regarding immovable properties was voted by 207 deputies. If President Klaus Iohannis would promulgate it, it will come to force in 15 days from that moment.

The first attempt of issuing this law (25 November, Chamber of Deputies) was stopped by President Klaus Iohannis, who sent it back to the Parliament for reexamination, on the 18th of December, explaining how “The law is welcomed, but the form adopted by the Parliament, instead of helping the ones with mortgage loans, risks to create new difficulties, even to the point when it is impossible to apply it. Unclear terminology, mismatch with current regulations, and creating inequity situations among the beneficiaries of the law, are just a few of the problems of the regulatory document. Thus, today I resent the law to the Parliament, for reexamining. It is the Legislator’s attribution to define more rigorously the terms they use, so that confusions and haziness are avoided.”

In 2016 Romanians will be called for two sets of elections, locals which are set for early June, and Parliamentary elections to be organized at the end of November or early December. There are some important changes regarding the election process that were adopted by the Parliament in 2015, namely the law of political parties, the financing of political parties, the law of local elections, parliamentary elections law and postal voting law which allows Romanians from abroad to vote electronically.

The postal voting adopted in parliament, will apply to parliamentary elections, being the first time that this vote is implemented for the Romanians in the diaspora.

For local elections, the most important novelty is that the law provides for a single round election of mayors and presidents and vice presidents of local and county councils. Another amendment of the law is that EU citizens can be elected mayors.