The 5% threshold is not the key to all problems

The increase of the electoral threshold from 3 to 5 percent the Government decided upon on Wednesday through an emergency ordinance will block the access of small parties to Parliament, but will not solve the main problems of the Romanian parliamentary system, specialists state. On the other hand, despite preliminary negotiations which also included the opposition, the ordinance stirred fiery controversies in Government and proposals were launched for cutting down the threshold for alliances. The solution within the draft was finally retained and for each member party one percentage point will be added.

The Executive’s decision comes as a result of the “arrangement between large parties,” political analyst Stelian Tanase considers. This will continue to allow “all imbeciles to enter the legislative,” as the system of list voting remained unchanged. He thinks that lifting the threshold is a “partial solution” and that only the passage to the system of uninominal vote will prevent heads of important parties from deciding, for the electorate, who would be granted an MP position.

“The party chairman is the one who fills electoral lists. Because of this, very few competent people and many persons close to parties’ political bureaus get into Parliament,” Tanase says.

The threshold lifting will bring about, according to the analyst, the loss of the statute of party held by some small parties, like PUNR (National Unity Party). He thinks that the Parliament to be elected in autumn will include only 6-7 parties and that it will be more difficult for governing coalitions to take shape.