| Country: | Romania |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2014 European Parliament election in Romania |
| Previous Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2024 European Parliament election in Romania |
| Next Year: | 2024 |
| Seats For Election: | All 32 Romanian seats in the European Parliament (33 after Brexit) |
| Turnout: | 51.15% |
| Election Date: | 26 May 2019 |
| 1Blank: | EP Group |
| Image1: | Rares Bogdan 2019.jpg |
| Leader1: | Rareș Bogdan |
| Party1: | National Liberal Party (Romania) |
| Last Election1: | 11 seats |
| Seats1: | 10 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,449,068 |
| Percentage1: | 27.00% |
| Alliance1: | EPP |
| Leader2: | Rovana Plumb |
| Party2: | Social Democratic Party (Romania) |
| Last Election2: | 12 seats |
| Seats2: | 9 |
| Seat Change2: | 3 |
| Popular Vote2: | 2,040,765 |
| Percentage2: | 22.50% |
| Alliance2: | S&D |
| Image3: | Dacian Ciolos (cropped).jpg |
| Leader3: | Dacian Cioloș |
| Party3: | USR PLUS |
| Last Election3: | – |
| Seats3: | 8 |
| Seat Change3: | New |
| Popular Vote3: | 2,028,236 |
| Percentage3: | 22.36% |
| Alliance3: | RE |
| Image4: | Victor Ponta debate November 2014.jpg |
| Leader4: | Victor Ponta |
| Party4: | PRO Romania |
| Last Election4: | – |
| Seats4: | 2 |
| Seat Change4: | New |
| Popular Vote4: | 583,916 |
| Percentage4: | 6.44% |
| Alliance4: | S&D |
| Image5: | EPP Summit; Meise, Dec. 2013 (11449226465) (cropped 2).jpg |
| Leader5: | Traian Băsescu |
| Party5: | People's Movement Party |
| Last Election5: | 2 seats |
| Seats5: | 2 |
| Popular Vote5: | 522,104 |
| Percentage5: | 5.76% |
| Alliance5: | EPP |
| Image6: | Iuliu Winkler 2014-02-05.JPG |
| Leader6: | Iuliu Winkler |
| Party6: | Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania |
| Last Election6: | 2 seats |
| Seats6: | 2 |
| Popular Vote6: | 476,777 |
| Percentage6: | 5.26% |
| Alliance6: | EPP |
| Elected Members: | elected members |
| Outgoing Members: | outgoing members |
European Parliament elections were held in Romania on 26 May 2019.[1]
In April 2019, the Party of European Socialists (PES) announced on Wednesday that it would freeze relations with the Social Democrats (PSD) at least until June, citing concerns about the rule of law in the country.[2] Since then the (PSD) moved further to Euroscepticism. Victor Ponta, who was expelled from the PSD in 2017, said "The PSD unfortunately has turned to a very populist, very nationalistic, demagogic party," he said.[3]
Three days after the 2014 election, on 28 May 2014, National Liberal Party president Crin Antonescu announced that the party would change European affiliation from ALDE to EPP, and it has started negotiations for the merger with the Democratic Liberal Party. The newly created party would still be called National Liberal Party, and be a member of the EPP. Democratic Liberal Party president Vasile Blaga later that day confirmed the merger of the two parties. MEP Norica Nicolai, first candidate on the National Liberal Party list refused to join the European People's Party group, and continued to stay a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group.[4] After the 2014 presidential election, MEP Renate Weber, second candidate on the National Liberal Party list, resigned the European People's Party group, and joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group. After the completion of the merger of the two parties, the two MEPs were given an ultimatum to join the European People's Party group or face party exclusion.[5] They failed to fulfill the request and thus were expelled from the National Liberal Party, and currently stand with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group. Later, MEP Norica Nicolai joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats.[6]
In late August 2017, MEP Ramona Mănescu, third candidate on the National Liberal Party list, resigned the party,[7] but continued to stand with the European People's Party group.
In May 2018, People's Movement Party MEP Siegfried Mureșan, spokesman of the European People's Party, announced he is leaving the party to join the National Liberal Party.[8]
Journalist Rareș Bogdan, formerly a staunch opponent to the liberals, was officially nominated as head of the PNL list for the European Parliament elections, which also contains, among others, former co-president of PNL Vasile Blaga, MEPs Siegfried Mureșan, Adina Vălean, Daniel Buda, Cristian Bușoi, Marian-Jean Marinescu and Mihai Țurcanu, and mayors Mircea Hava and Gheorghe Falcă.[9]
Three days after the 2014 election, on 28 May 2014, Democratic Liberal Party president Vasile Blaga confirmed the announcement made by National Liberal Party president Crin Antonescu, that the two parties were to merge into a new party, that would retain the name of the latter and international affiliation of the former. To express discontent with this decision, and the lack of a PDL candidate to the presidential election, MEP Monica Macovei, second candidate on the Democratic Liberal Party list resigned the party in September 2014, and competed in the 2014 presidential election as an independent.[10] [11] [12] Following the presidential election, she joined, as an independent politician, the European Conservatives and Reformists.
In September 2014, following some declarations, Cristian Preda, first candidate on the People's Movement Party list, was expelled from the party.[13] [14] [15] [16] He continued to stand in the European People's Party group.
In 2016, the People's Movement Party merged with (absorbed) the National Union for the Progress of Romania, but the later's MEPs did not join the People's Movement Party.
In May 2018, MEP Siegfried Mureșan, spokesman of the European People's Party, announced he is leaving the People's Movement Party, to join the National Liberal Party. As a result, the People's Movement Party lost both its MEPs.
The Conservative Party ran with the National Union for the Progress of Romania on a common list headed by the Social Democratic Party at the previous election. This electoral alliance was supposed to be called "Social Democratic Union" ("Uniunea Social Democrată"), but, due to the Romanian legislation (this name was taken by a 1990s alliance between the Democratic Party and Romanian Social Democratic Party), they ran as "PSD-UNPR-PC". In 2015, the party merged with the Liberal Reformist Party, to form the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats[17] [18] Members displeased with this decision, headed by MEP Maria Grapini (first Conservative Party candidate, and fifth on the PSD-UNPR-PC list), founded a new party, Humanist Power Party (Social-Liberal) (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Partidul Puterii Umaniste (Social-Liberal)).[19] She continues to stand with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, as a member of PPU-SL. Laurențiu Rebega, second Conservative Party candidate and fourteenth on the PSD-UNPR-PC list, sat as an independent politician in the Non-Inscrits group, before joining PRO Romania and the ECR.
The National Union for the Progress of Romania ran with the Conservative Party on a common list headed by the Social Democratic Party at the previous election. This electoral alliance was supposed to be called "Social Democratic Union" ("Uniunea Social Democrată"), but, due to the Romanian legislation (this name was taken by a 1990s alliance between the Democratic Party and Romanian Social Democratic Party), they ran as "PSD-UNPR-PC". In 2016, the National Union for the Progress of Romania merged with (was absorbed by) the People's Movement Party, but the former's MEPs did not join the People's Movement Party. Both its two candidates continue to stand with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats: Damian Drăghici (first National Union for the Progress of Romania candidate and sixth on the "PSD-UNPR-PC" list) as an independent member, and Doru Frunzulică (second National Union for the Progress of Romania candidate and thirteenth on the "PSD-UNPR-PC" list) joined the Social Democratic Party.
| Date | Polling Firm | PSD S&D | ALDE | PRO EDP | USRALDE | PLUS- | UDMR EPP | PNL EPP | PMP EPP | Others | Lead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2–20 May 2019 | IMAS | 21.1% | 9.8% | 9.9% | 19.6% | 3.8% | 28.5% | 6.2% | 1.1% | 7.4% | ||
| 14–19 May 2019 | Novel Research | 27.8% | 7.9% | 7.6% | 14.8% | 5% | 28.1% | 6.7% | 2.1% | 0.3% | ||
| 1–7 May 2019 | BCS | 31.5% | 6.6% | 7.8% | 14.5% | 5.1% | 26.1% | 6.1% | 2.3% | 5.4% | ||
| 12 April–3 May 2019 | INSCOP | 25.5% | 9.2% | 9.1% | 16.5% | 4.8% | 27.6% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 2.1% | ||
| April 2019 | PNL | 25% | 27% | 16% | 2% | |||||||
| April 2019 | D&D Research | 29.3% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 22.3% | 2.7% | 29.9% | 3.7% | 0.9% | 0.9% | ||
| 5–28 April 2019 | CURS | 32% | 10% | 9% | 12% | 5% | 25% | 5% | 2% | 7% | ||
| 12–25 April 2019 | IMAS | 21.7% | 12.2% | 11.7% | 16.4% | 5.6% | 25.6% | 5.6% | 1.1% | 3.9% | ||
| 18 March–3 April 2019 | IMAS | 21.2% | 12.7% | 11.2% | 17.7% | 5.1% | 25.2% | 4.7% | 1.9% | 4.0% | ||
| 15–20 March 2019 | BCS | 26.5% | 8.1% | 10.2% | 10.8% | 4.4% | 29.8% | 6.2% | 4% | 3.3% | ||
| 15–20 March 2019 | BCS | 25.8% | 7.9% | 6.7% | 11.7% | 4.6% | 31.5% | 5.9% | 3.1% | 5.7% | ||
| 5–13 March 2019 | INSCOP | 26.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% | 15.3% | 5% | 26.3% | 4.4% | 3.7% | 0.6% | ||
| February–March 2019 | PNL | 24.6% | 11.8% | 6.7% | 16% | 27.9% | 13% | 3.3% | ||||
| 13–28 February 2019 | CURS | 31% | 12% | 10% | 13% | 5% | 23% | 5% | 1% | 8% | ||
| 1–21 February 2019 | IMAS | 22.7% | 12.5% | 13.4% | 17.9% | 4.7% | 22.6% | 4.4% | 1.8% | 0.1% | ||
| 21 January–6 February 2019 | CURS | 32% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 5% | 5% | 22% | 5% | 5% | 10% | |
| 21 January–5 February 2019 | INSCOP | 27.8% | 9.2% | 6.6% | 10.0% | 7.0% | 5.1% | 26.7% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 1.1% | |
| 11–30 January 2019 | IMAS | 24.6% | 12.9% | 9.0% | 13.1% | 7.3% | 5.6% | 23.3% | 2.5% | 1.6% | 1.3% | |
| 12–20 January 2019 | BCS | 23.0% | 8.1% | 10.7% | 6.5% | 8.1% | 4.8% | 23.7% | 9.3% | 5.8% | 0.7% | |
| December 2018 | PNL | 30.2% | 11.5% | 5.5% | 10.2% | 5% | 5.1% | 27.8% | 4.2% | 0.7% | 2.4% | |
| 24 November–9 December 2018 | CURS | 33% | 9% | 9% | 7% | 5% | 6% | 20% | 5% | 6% | 13% | |
| 26 October–12 November 2018 | CURS | 38% | 15% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 15% | 3% | 5% | 23% | ||
| 25 May 2014 | Election results | 37.6% | – | – | – | – | 6.3% | 29.8% | 6.2% | 20.0% | 22.6% | |
The Central Electoral Bureau publishes the lists the latest in 24 hours after they have been registered by the parties.[20]
Romania's constitutive session for the year 2019 was represented by 29% women and 71% men.[37]
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) ran in 2014 as part of the a three-party alliance that also included the Conservative Party (PC, a founding member of the ALDE party in 2015) and the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR). Initially, it intended to run as the "Social Democratic Union" (USD), but, as the same name was used by an alliance in the 1990s by the now longtime defunct Democratic Party (PD) and Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR), they ran as "PSD-UNPR-PC Alliance". Save Romania Union (USR) and Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS) ran together under the moniker 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance. Includes the Civic Force (FC) (2,6% in 2014), which merged into the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) in July 2014, which itself subsequently merged into the PNL in November 2014.
