Electoral Watchdog Says Different Number of Voters on Referendum Results Is Due to Error

The bureau said in an official response seen by MEDIAFAX that it did not have the legal means to correct the error.

According to the final results BEC announced for the May 26 referendum, there were different number of voters counted for each of the two referendum questions, with a difference of about 800 votes between them. This happened despite the fact that ballots for both questions were handed to all citizens who requested to vote in the referendum.

BEC announced that four voting sections in Constanta, Neamt and Valcea counties erroneously filed their voter turnout reports with differing numbers for the two ballots.

Romania’s Constitutional Court is set to decide on June 27 whether to validate the judicial referendum, context in which court chairman Valer Dorneanu sent BEC several questions regarding the electoral lists used in the ballot.

In the referendum, nearly 6.5 million Romanian voters agreed with banning amnesty and pardoning for corruption offences, as well as with preventing the government from issuing emergency decrees in the fields of criminal offences, sentences and judicial organization, while also extending the right to challenge government decrees at the constitutional court.

Specifically, 81.53% of voters were in favor of the amnesty and pardoning ban, while 81.75% expressed their preference to restrict the areas in which the government can file judicial decrees.

More than 7.9 million citizens, or 41.28% of registered voters, took part in the May 26 referendum, which passed of its required validation thresholds (at least 30% turnout and at least 25% affirmative answers from all registered voters).