site.btaNational Liberal Party Candidate Ciprian Ciucu Elected Mayor of Bucharest

Ciprian Ciucu is the new Mayor of Bucharest, with over 90% of the ballots processed, according to results published by the Permanent Electoral Authority. The candidate of the National Liberal Party and current Mayor of District 6 in the Romanian capital received 36.17% of the vote.

Independent candidate Anca Alexandrescu, backed by the opposition Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, with 21.94% is second. Third comes the Social Democratic Party candidate and current District 4 Mayor, Daniel Baluta, with 20.50%. All opinion polls in the week leading up to the election had predicted him as the likely winner.

A total of 15 candidates competed for the position, which became vacant after Nicusor Dan was elected President of Romania in May. However, 17 names appeared on the ballot, as two candidates withdrew at the last moment.

Election day passed without major irregularities, though voter turnout was low. Polling stations closed with a voter turnout of 32.71%, according to data from the Permanent Electoral Authority. A total of 589,918 residents of Bucharest out of the 1,803,728 people on the permanent voter list exercised their right to vote. Voter turnout was highest in Ciucu's District 6, at 37.11%.

As mayor of Bucharest, Ciucu has pledged to modernize the city’s heating network to prevent entire neighborhoods from being left without hot water and central heating. He also promotes an environmental plan that includes creating a green belt around Bucharest and establishing a car-free city centre, similar to Paris.

During the campaign, Ciucu also presented proposals such as dedicated public transport corridors with special lanes for buses, trolleybuses, and trams along major routes, with priority traffic lights. He proposed introducing a unified, integrated ticket for buses, trams, trolleybuses, and the metro; building park and ride facilities outside Bucharest along the main routes leading into the city; and improving accessibility to stations and sidewalks, including ramps, elevators, tactile paving, acoustic traffic signals.

His plan is ambitious, and Ciucu will have two and a half years to implement it. “I want Bucharest to become the project of my life,” he said on election night, adding: “I don’t see myself as President of Romania. I want to be the Mayor of Bucharest for as long as possible. I don’t want to lead the National Liberal Party, I want to have as much time as possible for the city.”

During his tenure as Mayor of District 6, Ciucu was a fierce critic of former Bucharest Mayor and current Romanian President Nicusor Dan. He accused Dan of blocking important projects, including water supply networks, sewage systems, public lighting, and road surfacing, some of which had been stalled for more than three years.