| Local elections were held in Romania. 17.5 million voters took part in them. Throughout the country, 400 thousand candidates, independent or representing one of 36 political parties, applied for the posts of mayors (mayors), as well as county, municipal and communal councilors. Local elections in Romania will be used to determine how the general parliamentary and presidential elections will proceed this November.
24 people applied for the post of mayor general of the country's capital, Bucharest. A motley company: the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, the former Chief of the General Staff, fired for sympathizing with the 1940-1944 dictator Ion Antonescu, Chairman of the Romanian Football League...
Interestingly, the Social Democrats in power in Romania have never won the mayoral race in Bucharest or other major cities. And the stakes are high: 2 million people live in Bucharest, which is more than 10% of the country’s population. And there is a lot of money circulating here, including funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Therefore, the ruling party threw heavy artillery into battle - the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mircea Geoana, respected by the people. But it was difficult for the “armchair” Joana to compete with the current mayor Traian Basescu, the unsinkable sea captain and leader of the Democratic Party. Basescu, who represents the main force of the opposition - the union of liberals and democrats, defended his job from the first round, gaining almost 60% of the votes, compared with 31% for Geoana.
The liberal opposition also won the elections to the general council of the municipality, winning an absolute majority - 54%. Mayor Basescu's dream has come true - now the council, which until now has been dominated by Social Democrats, will not put a spoke in his wheels and sabotage urban development projects. According to Mr. Basescu, the ruling party was let down by corruption.
On the 20th of June, a second round of elections will be held in a number of other cities. If the opposition presents such surprises throughout the country, then in the fall at the general elections we must expect a change of power. Vyacheslav SAMOSHKIN, Bucharest
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