The powerful nations hold democratic elections including during times of crisis, president Klaus Iohannis stated on Thursday, at the beginning of the government meeting.

He referred thus to the parliamentary elections scheduled for December 6 and gave the example of the recent elections held in the USA, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are many discussions in the public area about the opportunity of holding the elections in pandemic. I will say this very clearly: democracy cannot be parenthesized. Democracy must be guaranteed and democracy is guaranteed through elections, through free elections. And the powerful nations hold elections including during such times of crisis," pointed out the head of state.

Klaus Iohannis spoke, in this sense, about "consolidated democracies."

"We should look to them, to the consolidated democracies, with old traditions, when we want to see how we must deal with elections during times of crisis. In the United States, the elections took place in the context in which almost 100,000 new cases of novel coronavirus infections are reported daily. They still organized elections, in this context, and had a record turnout," he showed, underscoring that the Americans observed the health protection rules on this occasion.

The president also gave as an example the elections from the US, from "November 1944, in full war." "They wanted to hold elections, because this how it's done in a democracy," he detailed. According to the head of state, "this is how the powerful nations do it, and the Romanian nation is a strong nation."

"We will overcome this crisis together," concluded the president.

President Iohannis said that, at the parliamentary elections, the electoral campaign will be one conducted "under very special, very strict conditions. "So we will have the vote, this is next. And I invited you, Mr Prime Minister, honoured members of the Government, to get fully involved in guaranteeing the organization of the elections under the best conditions and under safety conditions for the people's health," he said to the members of the Executive. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Andreea Rotaru, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia)