Vlad Gheorghe, fined 15,000 lei by AEP for a Facebook post Pro Nicușor Dan in the campaign / Found the fine on the door of the block

The president of the party as Vlad Gheorghe received a fine of 15,000 lei from the Permanent Electoral Authority. The AEP decision is based on a support post for Nicușor Dan, made on Facebook after the first television debate in the first round of presidentials, without being marked with the Financial Mandar Code (CMF).

“I received a fine of 15,000 lei from the AEP. Because I wrote on Facebook that I support Nicușor Dan. Seriously. After the first television debate in the first round, I wrote a text in which I said that Simion fled the confrontation, and the performance of the other candidates confirmed my option: I support Nicușor Dan,” Vlad Gheorghe wrote.

Vlad Gheorghe speaks of the “aggressiveness” of the AEP

Contacted by HotNews, Vlad Gheorghe says that the representatives of the AEP were “extremely aggressive”, putting the minutes and the fine on the door of the block, because he was not at home. According to the politician, the documents with his personal data stood on the door until a neighbor was notified. “That's a mess. She saw everyone who comes in,” the politician said.

“The control team found that the material in question fulfills all the mandatory conditions (…) to be considered the electoral propaganda material, but it does not contain the mandatory elements to be inscribed, respectively it does not comply with the visual identity rules for the labeling of the political advertising materials used in the election campaign for the election of the President of Romania in the year 2025 19/2025 regarding the way of promoting, distributing, publishing or publishing the political advertising materials used in the election campaign in the elections for the President of Romania in 2025, the material being unexpected ”, shows in the fine received by Vlad Gheorghe and made available HotNews.

“If I put Nicușor's code, it was illegal. If I didn't put it, it's a fine.”

He added, on the Facebook page, that he did not distribute electoral materials and was “a citizen” who “expressed an opinion”.

In contradiction with the motivation of the AEP, the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) sent a press release in April, according to which “the messages addressed to the party members and supporters, as well as the opinions expressed in personal names do not require labeling”.

Vlad Gheorghe says that, based on that BEC announcement, the parties who do not have their own candidates cannot make propaganda, but can express support. “And the CMF of another competitor cannot even be used. That is: if I put Nicușor's code, it was illegal. If I didn't put it, it's fine,” writes the politician on Facebook.

The former MEP announced that he will challenge the sanction and ask all those who have received similar fines to write them.

HotNews contacted the Permanent Electoral Authority for a point of view, but the institution did not respond until the time of publication of the article.

The post for which it was fined was published on April 28, after the first television debate from Digi24. Vlad Gheorghe wrote on Facebook: “Romania needs a true president, not the circuses and fugitives (…) Tonight, for me, the election is clear: Nicușor Dan is the president that Romania needs.”