New Green party plans major drive for 2012 elections

Ex-leading figures from Romania’s Green Party have broken away to create a new political bloc – The Green Movement (Miscarea Verzilor) – which plans to launch candidates in the local and parliamentary elections in 2012

November 2010 - From the Print Edition

Former Presidential Candidate for the Green Party Remus Cernea and political lecturer Claudiu Craciun are co-presidents of the party, while environmentalist and journalist Liviu Mihaiu will be president of honour.
“For 2012 we plan to candidate in local elections in large urban areas and in the parliamentary elections to field candidates in all the electoral constituencies,” Craciun told The Diplomat. “We will also try to promote women candidates as much as possible.”
In 2009, on almost zero financing, Remus Cernea won 0.6 per cent of the public vote in the Presidential elections.
The new party proposes significant investments in renewable energy, green technologies and energy efficiency and a rebuilding of Romania’s environmental infrastructure.
Central to its policies is an opposition to the proposed multi-billion Euro gold and silver mining project in Rosia Montana, Alba county. “This is non-negotiable and could determine our relationship with other parties,” said Craciun.
Other key policies are to double Romania’s financing for education and health as a proportion of GDP and to raise research and innovation investment to levels concomitant with the EU average.
The Green Movement also aims to bring the voting age down from 18 to 16 years and the threshold for political parties to enter Parliament from five per cent to three per cent.
In September 2010, the Green Movement members broke from the Green Party due to a disagreement in the executive over policy views, especially on human rights and the rights of minorities.
The Green Movement now has sights on joining the European Green Party (EGP) at the European Parliament.