Political candidates and soccer players

The second round of local elections will take place at the end of this week. There are some cities were teeth-and-claws fights will take place, like in Bacau, Galati, Iasi, Craiova and Ploiesti. And then again, though competition stays ahead for the runners-up in the county capitals of Alexandria, Tulcea, Calarasi, Slatina, Piatra-Neamt, Buzau, Slobozia, Oradea, Targoviste, Drobeta Turnu-Severin, Resita, Zalau, Focsani, Blaj and Satu-Mare. Most of the fights in these cities are on between candidates of the Social Democrat Party (SDP), on the one hand, and those of the parties currently in opposition: National Liberal Party (NLP) or Democrat Party (DP). The top-competition is to take place for the city hall of Cluj city, between Ioan Rus (SDP) and Emil Boc (the NLP-DP Alliance).

The question now is how much interest Romanian citizens still have for the unfolding of this second round of local elections? It is easy to recall that a little bit over half of the number of voters turned up to throw in their ballot in the first round of elections. I wonder how many will come to vote next Sunday, taking into account that the European Soccer Championship is on people minds. I am really dying to see what the turn-out will be, since the rating of soccer matches broadcast on national television from Portugal is ten times that of the one shows hosting the political candidates. The latter only chance to get coverage, and sneak a political career in the towering shadow of Zinedine Zidane, is to pop-up during commercial brakes of soccer matches! I truly wonder if the schedule for the European Soccer Championship was taken into account when heated debates went on regarding setting the time-table for the elections? But now there is nothing left to be done. Most of the televised electoral debates compete with the soccer matches in Portugal. Or, rather, the electoral debates are out run by far by the broadcast of soccer matches. Thus it is more likely the voters will find out more about the candidates from electoral billboards.

It rests to be seen next Sunday if Romanian citizens of voting age will choose soccer over elections and soccer players over political candidates ...