Government has set date of presidential elections for May 4, electoral period starts on February 18

The government approved on Thursday that the date of the presidential elections will be May 4, with the electoral period starting on February 18.The executive also decided that voting abroad will take place over three days, with polling stations closing on May 4 at 21:00. Romanian time, instead of local time, as it was until now."The normative acts setting the date of the presidential elections have been approved. (...) Two government decisions and an emergency ordinance were issued. The government decrees precede this emergency ordinance and set the date of the elections: May 4, 2025, presidential and local elections in certain UATs.(...) For the two elections, the same electoral infrastructure will be used as in the previous year 2024, precisely to ensure the smoothness, transparency and fairness of the voting process," announced the spokesperson of the Executive, Mihai Constantin, after the Government meeting.He said that, according to the adopted normative acts, the payment of the staff involved in this electoral process will be reduced by 25%, at the proposal of the Ministry of Finance, "in order to fit into the general plan to reduce public spending", mentioning that the daily food allowance remains the same as last year.Mihai Constantin also said that deadlines and logistical measures regarding the registration of voters residing abroad are being set, mentioning that in this case "things are going on as before"."Starting next week, after the Emergency Ordinance adopted today comes into force, Romanian citizens abroad can declare their intention to vote by correspondence at the Romanian consular services," Constantin explained.He mentioned the changes regarding the voting process abroad."Voting abroad has another feature. Until now voting started at 12:00 local time in polling stations abroad, starting from Friday. Well, now voting will start at 07:00 local time, end at 21:00, Saturday it will be from 07:00 to 21:0. On Sunday, May 4, when the voting also takes place in the country, there has been a change.(.... ) On Sunday, voting starts in polling stations abroad at 07:00, local time, but ends either at 21.00, local time, if we are on the meridian that precedes, east of Romania, as has happened so far, but in the area that means west of Romania, in other time zones, voting will close at 21:00, Romanian time. This means that, if we go to an extreme in the United States at a polling station, on Sunday, May 4, voting will close when in Romania it is 21:00 hrs. This measure was adopted at the proposal of the Permanent Electoral Authority precisely in order to stop that time gap from influencing the vote when it was closed in Romania, but remained open abroad, in the sections that are west of Romania, in the corresponding time zones," explained Constantin.According to Constantin, there will again be a provision valid both at home and abroad that if, at 21:00, when the polls close, there are people queuing at the polling station, the voting process will be extended by three hours at most, until midnight in Romania.He also said that the electoral period will begin on February 18, 2025.