Top politicians, candidates vote early in local elections. PM Tariceanu in apparent breach of voting rules

The main candidates for the Bucharest city hall voted early in local elections on Sunday, as did President Traian Basescu and PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu. The day started with possible irregularities and incidents at several poll stations across the country with questions rising about Tariceanu’s vote as well.

The prime minister voted at about 10.30 at a school-based voting section in Bucharest. He came unaccompanied by his wife and had problems with one of the four ballots he was to cast. When he left the voting booth, Tariceanu went straight to the polling station president and showed her one of the ballots, which is forbidden by law and leads to the annulment of the vote.

After several minutes of explanations, Tariceanu went on and cast his ballots in the ballot boxes. On leaving the station, he refused to explained the media what happened but did not miss the occasion to advertise his National Liberal Party’s candidates, saying he voted for them.

Top candidate for Bucharest mayor, independent Sorin Oprescu, also voted early in the morning. But he had to sign on supplementary voters list as he failed to find himself on the official ones.

Liberal candidate Leonard Orban and Liberal Democratic contender for Bucharest Mayor, Vasile Blaga, also showed up early to vote.

President Traian Basescu voted in the early hours as well. He had urged Romanians in a public appeal on Friday to show up and vote in today’s elections, given that a low turnout is expected.

Over 1,800,000 Bucharest voters are invited to elect their new mayor and local administrators on Sunday.

Trouble appeared at several polling stations as well. One station was closed in Stefanesti – Ilfov, near Bucharest, because supporters of two parties started quarrelling at the venue. A station in Bralostita, Dolj county was left without electricity because of a storm, while a vehicle transporting ballots to a polling station in Albac was involved in a car accident in which the driver died.