Before the questions, perhaps it makes more sense to presentlist the top 10 candidates of each party – I’ve already listed the independents in the preceding article. You can find each party’s full list of candidates in the PDF under the image.
I plan to ask each person listed here (if I can find contact info) the questions at the end of the article, then summarize their answers. I find this necessary since for these elections there does not appear to be help in the form of VoteCompass (aka TestVot, previously covered in 2016, 2014). I probably won’t have time for those below the top three parties (USR, PSD, PNL), so if you would like to help, please let me know by commenting here (best!), messaging me on the fb page or email (z la zamo punct ca). LE: We added comments in brackets next to the names of those we have already asked.
USR
In the top 10, I’ve heard the names Ciolos, Armand, Ghinea but not the others.
- Dacian Julien Ciolos (/dacianciolos 390410/402960)
- Cristian Ghinea (/cristian.ghinea.oficial 57318/60631)
- Dragos-Nicolae Pislaru (/dragos.nicolae.pislaru – /17873)
- Clotilde-Marie-Brigitte Armand (/clotildearmand.ro 105771/107189)
- Ioan-Dragos Tudorache (/IoanDragosTudorache 1571/1696)
- Nicolae-Bogdanel Stefanuta (/nicu.stefanuta /1057)
- Vlad-Marius Botos (/vlad.botos.3 )
- Ramona-Victoria Strugariu (/ramona.strugariu /RamonaVictoriaStrugariu 1293/1321)
- Vlad-Dan Gheorghe (/VladDanGheorghe /vlad.gheorghe.usr 13202/13535)
- Alin-Cristian Mituta (/alin.mituta /7828)
I predict that at least the top 5 will make it through. The program should be on their site.
PNL
In top 10, Bogdan, Blaga and Buda (not exactly familiar with the latter but sounds good). Affiliated EPP.
- Ioan-Rares Bogdan (/Rares.I.Bogdan 230665/242935)
- Mircea-Gheorghe Hava (/mirceahava 11616/12277 – website down, no fbm, pnl.alba/a/pnl)*
- Siegfried Vasile Muresan (/siegfried.muresan, SiegfriedMEP 213129/213338)
- Vasile Blaga (/vasile.blaga.pdl –/5938)
- Adina-Ioana Valean (/adina.valean)
- Daniel Buda (europarl)
- Dan-Stefan Motreanu (/danstefan.motreanu 6077/6191)
- Gheorghe Falca (/falca.gheorghe.7 /22286)
- Cristian-Silviu Busoi (europarl)
- Marian-Jean Marinescu (europarl)
Again, at least the top 5 will likely make it. The program should be on their site.
PSD
They are fronting quite a few women (Plumb, Avram, Grapini), but is that because they are progressive, or is it because the party boss, Dragnea, finds them more docile and easier to control? Affiliated S&D.
- Rovana Plumb (/rovanaplumb 32374/32527)
- Carmen-Gabriela Avram (/carmenavramoficial 35436/35533)
- Iulian-Claudiu Manda (claudiumanda.psddolj.ro dolj/a/psd.ro)
- Cristian-Vasile Terhes (fost preot, /CristianChrisTerhes)
- Dan Nica (europarl email)
- Maria Grapini (europarl email /grapini.maria)
- Tudor Ciuhodaru (/Tudor-Ciuhodaru-225846430786377 489/515)
- Adrian-Dragos Benea (/dragosbenea 10144/10351)
- Victor Negrescu (/victornegrescu 35320/35595)
- Andi-Lucian Cristea (europarl email)
This party took lion’s share in the last elections but so far they are not the favorite. This might change, however. The program should be on their site.
PRU
I don’t know much about this party, but I see two Diaconu in top 3, none of them Mircea, suggesting a family affair.
- Mihai-Bogdan Diaconu (/MihaiBogdanDiaconu 181107/175876)
- Andrei-Laurentiu Piticas
- Florian Mirea-Diaconu
- Dumitru Badragan
- Rudi Buga
- Ovidiu-Dumitru Zara
- Razvan-Iulian Ciortea
- Stefan Lungu
- Ioan Constantinescu
- Ionut-Cristian Stuparu
I’m not too sure who these guys are. The program should be on their site.
PRO
I only recognize Ponta, previously covered.
- Victor-Viorel Ponta (/victor.ponta 795501/771723 proromania.ro)
- Corina Cretu
- Mihai Tudose
- Iurie Leanca
- Geanina-Cristina Puscasu
- Gabriela-Maria Podasca
- Cristian Cosmin
- Ioana-Maria Petrescu
- Mihai-Razvan Sturzu
- Ionela-Mariana Danciu
The program should be on their site.
ALDE
Affiliated ALDE. Have heard more about Renate Weber and Varujan Vosganian than about Norica Nicolai, but that could be because I haven’t paid much attention.
- Norica Nicolai (/norica.nicolai 90810/90830 @europarl)
- Daniel-Constantin Barbu (w, /DanielCBarbu, 49/49)
- Renate Weber (/weber.renate /5594 @europarl)
- Ovidiu-Ioan Silaghi (/OvidiuSilaghiSM 2465/2479)
- Varujan Vosganian (/varujan.vosganian.5 /6815)
- Andrei-Dominic Gerea (/andreidominicgerea /1177)
- Radu-Lucian Silaghi-Dumitrescu
- Eusebiu-Manea Pistru-Popa
- Horia-Victor Toma
- Tudor-Tim Ionescu
The program should be on their site.
UDMR
This is a party created solely on an ethnic basis. In top 10, I’ve heard of Iuliu Winkler and I may have mentioned #5 in Sogori & Sogorismul. Affiliated EPP.
- Iuliu Winkler (/winkler.gyula 9779/9836)
- Lorant-Gyorgy Vincze (lorant.vincze vincze.lorant.2019 10116/10166)
- Csilla Hegedus
- Csongor Oltean
- Csaba Sogor
I’d be surprised if they get more than 2 MEPs in, which is what they got last time around. The program should be on their site. A recent euronews Roadtrip in Romania found that the Hungarian minority wants more autonomy.
UNPR
I suspect the top of the list is someone I have covered before on this blog (quagmire and in uterus envy). The second is a soccer trainer of the national “fotbal” team and “fotbalist”.
- Ilie Nastase (/IlieNastaseOfficial 5120/5281)
- Anghel Iordanescu (/anghel.iordanescu.73)
- Luminita-Pachel Adam
- Claudiu-Ciprian Tanasescu
- Mircea Manolache
- Constantin Tomescu
- Gheorghe Bica
- Apostol-Picu Roman
- Laura Berbecaru
- Ene Dinga
The two celebrities at the top might just get in. The program should be on their site.
PMP
I expect that only the (former) president Basescu (covered repeatedly in why not, fisting etc) will get elected and possibly Tomac. Affiliated EPP.
- Traian Basescu (/PresedinteleTraianBasescu 431659/428114)
- Eugen Tomac
- Ioana-Felicia Constantin
- Emil-Marius Pascan
- Simona-Maria Vladica
- Robert-Nicolae Turcescu
- Teodora-Alexandra Desaga
- Petru Movila
- Nicoleta-Catalina Bozianu
- Cornel-Catalin Bulf
The program should be on their site.
ProD
Affiliated ALDE. The top of the list sounds familiar, but could be wrong.
- Catalin-Sorin Ivan (catalin.ivan.14 22318/22342)
- Ioana-Alexandra Picos-Fagadaru
- Cornel Radu-Loghin
- Emilian-Aristide Burdusel
- Tudor-Bogdan Matei
- Gabriel Dobranis
- Dumitru-Ionut Moisa
- Daniela-Cristina Mihalcea
- Raul-Stefanita Dumitru
- Elena-Valentina Panait
The program should be on their site.
PSR
I doubt they’ll get anyone elected; if they did, I’d expect S&D affiliation.
- Marin Badea (email: contact/a/pasro.ro)
- Violeta Mercea
- Petrica Dima
- Corneliu Riegler
- Adrian-Manuel Dinu
- Rodica-Dorina Roman
- Gheorghita Zbaganu
- Carmen-Dorina Petrosel
- Costica Zdrobis
- Remus-Florin Manoiu
The program should be on their site.
BUN
Haven’t heard about any of them, but the top of the list name (Vulpoiu) which means “fox male” in Romanian is unlikely to build trust.
- Alexandru-Gabriel Vulpoiu (Alexandru-Vulpoiu-516537321840162 5137/5173)
- Costel Stanciu
- Saveta Ionesi
- Manuela Aciubotaritei
- Ioan-Stefan Zara
- Florentina-Mariana Szabo
- Ionel Veleat
- Cristian Obreja
- Codrianu-Alexandru Pentilescu
- Lucian Valerian Zara
The program should be on their site.
PSDI
Haven’t heard anything about any of themMarian Vanghelie’s party; it seems that they are trying to capitalize on the typical confusion of the PSD voter.
- Cornel-George Comsa (proalba.ro, office@)
- Carmen-Mariana Dascalescu
- Radu Stancu
- Sergiu Plingau
- Vili Mihaela Constantin
- Bogdan-Marius Ilie
- Virgil Nicorescu
- Madalina-Andreea Mustareata
- Razvan Rotaru
- Florin-Stefan Vasile
The program should be on their site.
Qs
These are questions of interest to me, but I suspect others might find them interesting as well..
The questions are meant to elicit comments, so rather than a yes or no answer, please consider the implicit “..and what/how would you do about it?”. 600 character limit.
- Is a mixed Direct Democracy system similar to Switzerland, combined with online voting, a good defence against corruption, populism and apathy?
- Many Europeans continue to confuse Romania and Romanians with the Roma minority (bbc, hn) while some Romanians feel that the name “Romania”, which started to become popular only toward the end of 1800s, served its historical purpose. Do you support changing the name “Romania” to “Dacia”?
- What are the most serious problems faced by Romanians in diaspora and your solutions?
- What foreign languages do you speak and at what level? What was your favorite subject / class in high-school?
- What should be done to increase the rate of European funds absorption?
- What European countries have you visited, when and which ones are top 3 in terms of friendliness and support to Romania and Romanians?
- What are your views on the interaction between intellectual property rights and public domain, what is your position regarding current European legislation in this matter and how, why and/or what would you change?
- What are your views on corruption in both Romania and Europe at large? What about the influence of money in politics and political campaigns?
- Is Romanian foreign and economic policy sufficiently nationalist?
- Do you believe that Romania should accept or encourage more refugees and/or immigrants?
Mesajul catre candidati este:
Bine v-am gasit! Impreuna cu cativa prieteni am facut o lista de intrebari pe care o adresam tuturor candidatilor. Lista intrebarilor poate fi gasita la https://www.facebook.com/zamolxis/posts/10156179160567011 . Va asteptam raspunsurile cu nerabdare!
Inca o data, apreciem ajutorul in trimiterea si publicarea raspunsurilor cat mai multor candidati.
Am separat listele be Tumblr: English & Romana.
As the questions are asked, we update (in brackets, next to candidate’s name) the Facebook name, number of likes/follows or any other method used to contact them. Unconfirmed questions are marked with *. We ask via Facebook Messenger wherever possible and where not, via website or email.
And now, the answers and our commentary.
Sources / More info: hn-teme,