President Nicușor Dan voted on Sunday morning for the election of the new mayor of the Capital at School 130 „Luceafărul” in Sector 5.
The head of state came to the polling station accompanied by his partner, Mirabela Grădinaru, but she did not vote. When asked why he was alone in the voting booth, Nicușor Dan replied: „We owe you an answer, there is no problem in the family.”
After leaving the polling station, the president stated: "I voted for a Romania in the West, for these values that I believe define us, and it is a city that I have known for a very long time and knowing the temptations that exist at the Bucharest City Hall, I voted for someone I am sure will not get close to the area of corruption and real estate mafia, which is extremely tempting at the Bucharest City Hall."
Follow on Spotmedia.ro the most important moments and statements of the election day
"It's been a long time since I voted for someone other than myself"
Asked how it feels to vote as a simple citizen after having been a candidate for Mayor of the Capital, Nicușor Dan stated: "It's been a long time since I voted for someone other than myself."
The head of state called on Bucharest residents to participate in the vote: "It's a democratic process. It's important for the elected mayor to have as many votes as possible to have legitimacy in the decisions they make."
About the priorities of the future mayor and coalition stability
Referring to the main issues of the Capital, the president mentioned the results of the local referendum: "From this unfortunate budget division, we have an infrastructure deficit. Money is needed for major projects: tram lines, buses, district heating."
He added that the issue of district heating could be solved in 7-8 years, and traffic largely depends on urban development control.
Asked if the outcome of the local elections will affect the governing coalition, Nicușor Dan was categorical: "I am absolutely convinced. We have some parties that had candidates at the local level in Bucharest, but the coalition has no reason not to function because of that."
Elections in two rounds and a rival candidate at Cotroceni
Referring to the cancellation of the 2024 presidential elections, the president stated: "They must trust their vote, because we are a democracy and in democracy, the moment of voting is when citizens express themselves. I have always been, you are right, I have always been a supporter of two-round voting, for this there must be a majority for it at the parliamentary level."
Asked if the future mayor of the Capital could become a potential rival candidate in the presidential elections, Nicușor Dan said he does not make such political calculations, while emphasizing that in a democracy, any electoral competition is welcome.
The president then spoke with a citizen who asked him about the institutions in Romania that are not functioning.
"Yes, it's true, there are extremely many deficiencies. However, we must also look at the progress Romania has made in the last 20 years. Because if we compare ourselves with countries around us that are not in the Union, we will see that even in the justice area, things are better," Dan replied.
Also asked why people are not satisfied with the political class, the president replied: "Because in many places, people in politics and administration do not take care of the common good, they take care of personal gain."