Pre-election decisions
Physician Cătălin Cîrstoiu has been designated joint candidate fo the ruling PSD-PNL coalition for the Bucharest City Hall
Roxana Vasile, 20.03.2024, 14:00
With approximately two and a half months left before the European Parliament and local elections slated for June 9, the ruling PSD-PNL coalition decided to present a joint list of candidates for the European Parliament election, despite contrasting ideologies and being part of different groups in the European Parliament. For the local elections, however, PSD and PNL are looking to enroll joint candidates in certain cities. Such is the case of Bucharest, where at the end of long negotiations that seemed doomed to fail, the two parties decided to back physician Cătălin Cîrstoiu, the acting manager of the Bucharest University Hospital. Cîrstoiu will not enroll in any of the two parties but will run as an independent candidate. In an ironic twist of fate, the presidents of the Bucharest branches of PSD and PNL, Gabriela Firea and Sebastian Burduja, respectively, who had both hoped to run for Bucharest Mayor General, will content themselves in running the the election campaign for their parties in Bucharest.
Over the next few days, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals are expected to announce their joint candidates for the six districts of Bucharest. Political sources say the Liberals are eyeing districts 1 and 6 while the Social-Democrats will fight to secure districts 2, 3, 4 and 5. An appreciated physician and hospital manager with no political experience, Cătălin Cîrstoiu will go up against the controversial Cristian Popescu Piedone, running on behalf of the Social-Liberal Humanist Party, as well as the incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, praised by some and harshly criticized by others, who has secured the support of the United Right Alliance made up of USR, PMP and the Right Force. The alliance was greenlit to field joint candidates for the June 9 election after the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday validated its format. At the end of last week, the Central Election Authority had rejected the establishment protocol of the Alliance, claiming that Cristian Diaconescu was listed as president of PMP in political registries, whereas the establishment act was signed by Eugen Tomac on behalf of the said party. The High Court’s decision corrects an inadmissible abuse for any democracy, Alliance representatives say. (VP)
