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At ten o’clock, 7.6 percent of those eligible to vote nationwide cast their votes, while in 2016, turnout was close to 8 percent.
In terms of turnout, the two Hungarian majority counties in Romania are the driving force: In Covasna and Harghita counties, in the first three hours, only 5 percent of eligible people went to the polls. The turnout in Mureş County was 6.7 percent. This is below the national average, but a few tenths more than four years earlier. Of the Transylvanian counties, turnout exceeded the national average in Bihar alone: here, 8.2 percent of those eligible voted in the morning.
The highest willingness to vote was measured in southern Romania, in the counties of Olt and Giurgiu: more than 11 percent of those on the list had already cast their vote.
In the last municipal elections of 2016, Bucharest had the lowest turnout on all day ballots. Interest in the capital is now slightly higher, with 10 percent of eligible voters voting before 10 a.m.
Due to precautions related to the coronavirus epidemic, queues have formed in front of electoral districts. Up to five voters can be in polling stations at a time, so people generally have to wait outside the building, keeping a safe distance from each other.
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban queued for half an hour in Bucharest to cast his vote, but said he was willing to wait even longer if necessary. He expressed hope that turnout, despite the epidemic situation, will exceed that of four years ago by the end of the day. The highest level of disinterest in the history of municipal elections in Romania was in 2016, when only 48.4 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.
There were no reports of serious irregularities in the early hours, but a spokesman for the Interior Ministry drew the attention of voters at a press conference Sunday morning to the risk of fining a thousand lei (75 thousand guilders) to those who photograph or film your vote.
Authorities continue to try to assure people that voting will not increase the risk of infection if health precautions are followed.
Voting circles everywhere are open until 9pm (20am Hungarian time).
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