General Prosecutor’s Office announces prolongation of term to finalize Bucharest District 1 mayoral vote recount

 

According to a release of the General Prosecutor's Office, the Bucharest Police did not manage to finish counting the votes expressed in the local elections in District 1, as the case prosecutor from the Department to Investigate Crimes in the Judiciary (SIIJ) disposed, so a difference between the votes for the two candidates could not be established.

 

"In the case regarding the local elections in District 1 Bucharest, which is in the hands of the Department to Investigate Crimes in the Judiciary, the activities disposed by the case prosecutor through the Ordinance of February 5, 2021, were not finalized, the Bucharest City General Police Directorate requesting the prolongation of the term established to complete all the objectives. Taking into consideration the complexity of procedures and the large volume of work it involves, the case prosecutor approved the mentioned request and established a new term for finalization, namely August 1, 2021. We mention that, from the checks done, the vote difference between the candidates could not be established, as the activities disposed by the prosecutor are not finalized," the release shows.

 

The Prosecutor's Office comments come after a large part of the central press wrote, on Wednesday, quoting "judiciary sources", that police officers have finished counting the votes and found a 1,000 vote difference in favor of Dan Tudorache.

 

According to the data of the Permanent Electoral Authority, in the elections for Mayor of District 1, Clotilde Armand, the candidate supported by the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Alliance (USR PLUS Alliance) won with 40.94 pct of votes, namely 36,455 ballots. Daniel Tudorache, the candidate of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), gained 39.81 pct of the votes, namely 35,451 ballots.

 

Daniel Tudorache contested the result and made a criminal complaint to the Department to Investigate Crimes in the Judiciary after television stations broadcast images with several persons entering the office of the District 1 Electoral Bureau, where the bags holding the votes were stored.