Romania's Electoral Authority proposes taking over party registration from courts as USR objects

New rules for party registration

Romania's Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) presented a draft bill altering the legal framework for establishing and dissolving political parties. The draft legislation, published for public consultation by AEP President Adrian Țuțuianu, removes the Bucharest Tribunal from the registration process and transfers direct authority to the electoral body. Under the existing framework, party registration requests are heard in open court sessions at the Bucharest Tribunal with a prosecutor present. The proposed text instead assigns registration reviews to an internal panel of five AEP employees, while Article 49 reserves the final ruling for the institution's leadership. The measure also raises the statutory threshold for founding a political formation from three founding members to 100.

Opposition reaction and political control

Union Save Romania (USR) deputy Alexandru Dimitriu, a lawyer and former state secretary in the Ministry of Justice, criticized the proposed bill on 23 August 2026. Dimitriu stated that the legislation would give the Social Democratic Party (PSD) control over the survival of rival political organizations through an institution headed by Țuțuianu, a former PSD minister.

The new party law, written by the Permanent Electoral Authority itself, takes power from the judge and gives an institution led by a pure PSD member the authority to decide who establishes a party, who allies with whom, and who disappears.

Dimitriu noted that Article 54 allows the electoral authority to determine panel appointments and case distribution through its own internal decisions, removing judicial oversight from the administrative workflow.

Dissolution powers and alliance restrictions

The draft law also changes the procedures governing political alliances and party liquidations. Under the proposal, alliances between parties, such as a potential electoral partnership between USR and the National Liberal Party (PNL), must clear AEP approval. The authority gains the ability to reject an alliance if officials determine that its chosen name creates confusion, with changes taking legal effect only after official publication by the authority.

Procedures for dissolving political entities shift significantly under the text. While current law requires a public prosecutor to petition a court to dissolve an active party, the proposed statute permits the AEP to open dissolution proceedings on its own initiative. Grounds for dissolution include conducting activities contrary to public order or pursuing objectives outside statutory bylaws. Under Article 56, an organization faces mandatory dissolution if it fails to submit statute modifications to the authority or if those amendments are rejected.

Six-month compliance timeline

The proposed legislation introduces a compliance mandate for all currently registered political formations in Romania. Article 74 requires all existing parties to submit to AEP review within six months after the law takes effect. The text also introduces a clause requiring political organizations to campaign for national sovereignty and state unity, leaving the assessment of compliance to the authority.

The bill remains in the public consultation stage before progressing to formal legislative consideration in parliament.