Romania
European Union & Local Elections, 9 June 2024
Heatwave, June 2024
Romania’s first major heatwave of the year took place on 9 June 2024, coinciding with the local and European Parliament elections (Stanciu 2024). The National Meteorology Administration issued yellow and orange alerts for extreme heat and thermal discomfort across southern Romania, with maximums of 35–37 degrees (Stanciu 2024; Andrei 2024). The day following the election, temperatures were recorded over 40 degrees in several cities (Antena 3 CNN 2024a).
Impact on the electoral process
The intense heat affected both the voters and electoral staff, raising concerns about system preparedness for such extreme conditions.
Some voters chose to vote early in the day to avoid the worst of the heat, but despite these precautions several people felt unwell at polling stations and needed medical assistance. Instances of fainting and dizziness were reported among mostly elders, at five polling stations (Olttv Slatina 2024; Ionescu-Heroiu 2024).
The heat impacted election officials and their deputies, who were tasked with delivering electoral materials to field offices – in some cases, located dozens of kilometres apart. Followed by the opening of ballot boxes and tallying the results, this added several more hours of work in conditions of extreme heat, sometimes without water, to an already long working day. Chaotic scenes and staff frustration unfolded as extreme heat caused some to faint while waiting to submit bags of ballot papers and other voting materials. Ambulances were dispatched across the country to help those affected (Antena 3 CNN 2024b).
Numerous complaints arose about the poor working conditions for election officials, citing exhaustion, thirst, discomfort, lack of medical assistance and negligence on the part of authorities in managing the electoral process (Antena 3 CNN, 2024b).
Voter turnout was 52.4 per cent in the European Parliament, an increase compared to the turnout of 51.2 per cent in 2019 (International IDEA n.d.). The local elections saw a turnout of 49.9 per cent( Ernst 2024), compared to 44.5 per cent in 2020 (Stirile Pro TV 2020).
Bibliography
Andrei, D., ‘Alegeri sub disconfort termic. Care regiuni vor fi lovite cel mai puternic de caniculă în acest weekend’ [Choices under thermal discomfort. Which regions will be hit the hardest by the heatwave this weekend], Ziare, 8 June 2024, < https://ziare.com/canicula/alegeri-disconfort-termic-regiuni-canicula-weekend-1874633 >, accessed 9 October 2025
Antena 3 CNN, ‘Oamenii leşină la depunerea sacilor cu voturi. Stau în căldură infernală, fără ca nimeni să le ofere un pahar cu apă’ [People faint when they drop off bags of votes. They stay in hellish heat, without anyone offering them a glass of water], 10 June 2024a, <https://www.antena3.ro/politica/alegeri-locale-2024/oamenii-lesina-la-depunerea-sacilor-cu-voturi-stau-in-caldura-infernala-fara-ca-nimeni-sa-le-ofere-712181.html>, accessed 9 October 2025
—, ‘România se topeşte la peste 40 de grade Celsius. Unde se înregistrează cele mai mari temperaturi’ [Romania is melting at over 40 degrees Celsius. Where the highest temperatures are recorded], 10 June 2024b, <https://www.antena3.ro/meteo/romania-se-topeste-la-peste-40-de-grade-celsius-oamenii-fac-fata-cu-greu-valului-de-canicula-712173.html>, accessed 9 October 2025
Ernst, I., ‘Leading parties in Romaine score landslide win in local elections’, Romania Insider, 10 June 2024, <https://www.romania-insider.com/leading-parties-romania-local-elections-win-june-2024>, accessed 9 October 2025
International IDEA, Voter Turnout Database – ‘Romania’, [n.d.], < https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/question-country?question_id=9190&country=183&database_theme=293 >, accessed 9 October 2025
Ionescu-Heroiu, R., ‘Mai multor alegători din Prahova li s-a făcut rău la secția de vot. Ce s-a întâmplat’, [Several voters in Prahova got sick at the polling station. What happened], Stirile Pro TV, 9 June 2024, <https://stirileprotv.ro/alegeri/locale/2024/mai-multor-alegatori-din-prahova-li-s-a-facut-rau-la-sectia-de-vot-ce-s-a-intamplat.html>, accessed 9 October 2025
Olttv Slatina, ‘Alegeri Pe Canicula’, YouTube, 9 June 2024, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FARKJPeIzno>, accessed 9 October 2025
Stanciu, E., ‘Cum e vremea în ziua alegerilor locale și europarlamentare. Cod portocaliu de caniculă în sudul țării’ [What is the weather like on the day of the local and European parliamentary elections. Orange heat code in the south of the country], Libertatea, 9 June 2024, <https://www.libertatea.ro/stiri/vremea-ziua-alegerilor-locale-europarlamentare-9-iunie-2024-4916986>, accessed 9 October 2025
Stirile Pro TV, ‘Alegeri locale 2020. Tot ce trebuie să știi despre prezența la vot, incidente, votul pentru Capitală’ [Local elections 2020. Everything you need to know about voter turnout, incidents, voting for the Capital], 27 September 2020, <https://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/alegeri-locale-2020/start-vot-alegeri-locale-2020-s-au-deschis-urnele-19-milioane-de-romani-aleg-azi-primarii-consilierii-locali-si-judeteni.html>, accessed 9 October 2025
Heatwave
