Tight race for seat of Bucharest mayor
As many as 18 more or less known figures are on the list of candidates.
Bogdan Matei, 26.08.2020, 14:00
Ten percent of Romania’s voters are living in Bucharest and its mayor comes second, after the head of state, in terms of number of votes needed to be elected. The capital is the country’s richest city, with economic and social indicators above the EU average and a very dynamic demography. That is why winning the seat of Bucharest mayor is such an important goal for all parties. Moreover, the election this year is more eagerly awaited than ever. Initially scheduled for June, due to the pandemic, it had to be postponed, thus extending by half a year the term of the locally elected officials. For the single round election due on September 27 the candidacies of 18 people have been validated. The entire ideological spectrum is represented, from the conservative right to the radical left, and there is a wide range of professions in between — economist, engineer, mathematician, philologist, actor, journalist, mountain guide, physician, veterinarian, air traffic controller and international relations expert. Nevertheless, opinion polls predict a fierce battle only between two contenders.
A former star of a leftist TV station, Gabriela Firea became the first Social Democratic mayor of the capital city four years ago, when the party she represented also won the mayor seats in Bucharest’s all 6 districts. Running for a second term and enjoying the support of the most important opposition party in Parliament, Firea’s results as Bucharest mayor are rather poor. The capital is suffocated by pollution and paralyzed by heavy traffic, has an almost bankrupt public heating agency and a poor infrastructure.
Firea’s main contender is the mathematician and civic activist Nicusor Dan. It was from the core of his NGO, Save Romania Union, that the third largest party in Parliament, with the same name, was born. Although Nicusor Dan has eventually left the party he founded for reasons related to doctrine, this party, alongside the National Liberal Party, support his candidacy for Bucharest mayor.
The list of candidates also includes MEP Traian Basescu and senator Calin Popescu Tariceanu. The first one was elected mayor in 2000, then became head of state for 10 years. The other one served as PM for one term. First friends, then enemies, Basescu and Tariceanu are seen by some analysts as the most efficient duo at the top of Romanian administration. With the two at the helm, Romania became a EU member in 2007. Close to the age of 70, the former president and the former prime minister seem ridiculous to some people with their ambition for the mayoral seat. Pundits believe, however, that they are only trying to promote their parties, with a view to the local elections in September. (Translated by Elena Enache)
