Romania’s Parliament Reform Referendum Validated – President

Romania’s President Traian Basescu said Sunday, after the results of exit-polls that show him leading in the first round of presidential elections, that the referendum for a single-chamber parliament downsized to 300 lawmakers was validated, as over 50% of Romanians cast votes at the referendum.

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Basescu said statistics indicate that over 50% of Romanians have voted on the referendum so far, adding the Parliament will have to convene the commission for the revision of the Constitution immediately after the official result of the referendum.

Voter turnout for the national referendum was of 46.84% by GMT1700 and a 50% turnout is needed for the referendum to be validated. Polls closed at GMT1900.

Voters were required to give yes or no answers to two questions at the referendum, namely "Do you want to make the Romanian Parliament single-chamber?" and "Do you want to cut the number of lawmakers to 300?".

Half of Romania's 18 million eligible voters had to cast ballots for the referendum to be validated.

After the Central Electoral Bureau releases centralized data on the results of the ballot, the Constitutional Court presents the Parliament with a report regarding the procedures of the organization and unfolding of the referendum and confirms its results.

According to the law, the Constitutional Court has to publish the results of the referendum in the country's Official Journal.

Downsizing the parliament to 300 lawmakers entails the amendment of the law regarding election in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, but the revision of Romania's Constitution entails the organization of another referendum and a more complex legal procedure.

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