ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses local elections and their impact on political representation in Romania in the wider context of the efforts to (re)constitute democratic local government in the post-Communist country. It shows how a combination of factors – the timing of local elections in relation to legislative elections, the subsequent interest of both competitors and voters, the choice of electoral formula and thresholds, reforms apparently aimed at simplifying the electoral process – leads to a dominance of national political parties in local politics. It also points out a significant and persistent gender gap, as well as an apparent decline in the representation of national minorities.
