Romania local elections campaign brings about innovative vote-grabbing techniques

Two weeks after the electoral campaign officially started for Romanian local elections due on June 1, candidates were using every method they could think of to attract votes: they rode an elephant, launched candidates in caves, organized an electoral KO fight.

Here are some of at least bizarre events:

• Liberal (PNL) candidate Victor Manea in Constanta took a walk with an elephant because his nickname is „The Elephant”. 

• The Ecologist party in Bihor, West Romania launched its candidates in cave because the dim of light represents the re-birth of the party, Oradea’s Mayor Mihai Togor declared.

• Greater Romania Party (PRM) candidate in Bacau, Codruta Arvinte has a flirty logo: Try it with a woman for a change! She declared that with a common logo she wouldn’t have triggered so much attention.

• Also in Bacau, the Social Democratic (PSD) candidate Daniel Benea portrays himself together with stars like Julio Iglesias or Romania’s former gymnast Nadia Comaneci and even Romania’s Patriarch Daniel.

• Creativity seems to be replaced by violence in Giurgiu, South Romania as Liberal Democrat (PD-L) candidate Costin Ceausu was attacked and ended up shot in the head with a rubber bullet. Seems that violence is the word of the day in other cities in the country too: Hunedoara PD-L mayor beat up a 20 year old for posting rival electoral fliers.