Romanian EPDE member Expert Forum (EFOR) has analysed the procedures for verifying the support signatures for candidates in the 2025 elections.

The number of signatures remains high and is by far the highest in the EU, limiting electoral competition, but also hampering the integrity of the process. The large number of signatures generates possible violations of the law in the effort to collect signatures. The lack of predictability and transparency further limits confidence in the elections; we mention the lack of possibility to observe the process by accredited organisations or the impossibility for voters to check whether their name appears on a list.

The large number of candidates who do not have an infrastructure that could support them in collecting signatures, as well as the behaviour of some parties, in particular the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and the Party of Young People (POT), which collected signatures on the last hundred meters, in a few days, raises questions about the integrity of the process. The formal verification carried out by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), the short deadlines, the lack of investigative tools in case of suspicions, as well as the very long deadlines for finalising criminal investigations significantly reduce the efficiency of this system, which requires significant reform to increase confidence in elections.

Given that there are numerous suspicions expressed in the public space in recent years regarding the signature collection process, the reform of the candidacy submission system must be taken as seriously as possible by political parties.

Some solutions to increase transparency and integrity of the process:

• Reducing the number of signatures required for registration. A possible option would be to reduce it to 0.5% of the number of voters registered in the Electoral Register.
• Introducing the possibility of providing signatures in electronic format and regulating this procedure.
• Introducing a procedure that would allow the BEC to verify, at least randomly, the identity of voters who support parties or independent candidates, by comparing them with other databases (e.g. Electoral Register) that can certify the identity of voters. This process should ensure the confidentiality of the data. For example, it should be able to verify that the national identify number (CNP) is valid and corresponds to the other data.
• BEC should have additional means at hand to be able to verify in a timely manner the identity of voters or the legality of signatures where there are very solid suspicions regarding the veracity of the data.
• Regulation by law or by an act applicable to all rounds of elections of the verification procedure, in order to ensure comparable control mechanisms for all presidential elections. These procedures must be much more detailed than the current ones.
• Extending the signature verification period to ensure that this process is carried out efficiently and instills trust.
• Regulating the possibility of observing the procedure for registering candidates and verifying signatures by accredited organizations, in compliance with the rules on personal data. (see Moldova)
• Political parties should publish on their websites their policies regarding the use of personal data during the electoral process, including those related to the collection of support signatures.

The full report (Romanian only) is available here.