British financial magazine The Economist published an article that analyzes the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Romania, on Friday.

The article says that Romania elected a party led by a vote-rigger. It states that the center-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) entered Romania’s parliamentary election on December 11 “with what, in most countries, would be considered a handicap”.

PSD leader Liviu Dragnea was convicted in 2015 for attempting electoral fraud three years earlier. The Economist, however, adds, that “many see Mr Dragnea’s conviction as politically motivated, and in Romania many parties are tainted by corruption”.

The article also notes that “the PSD’s victory has led to worries that Romania’s anti-corruption drive, a model for the region, may slow down.”

Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) prosecutes more than 1,000 people a year, and convicts most of them, according to The Economist.

editor@romania-insider.com