The December 7 elections in Bucharest marked the lowest turnout in the last decade, but were also a major win for the National Liberal Party (PNL) since its candidate, Ciprian Ciucu, won a majority of votes in 5 of the 6 districts of the capital.
In District 1, Ciprian Ciucu obtained 40.29% of the votes. The Liberal was followed by far-right candidate Anca Alexandrescu (19.09%) – backed by isolationist party AUR – and the Social Democrat (PSD) mayor of District 4, Daniel Băluță (18.64%).
In District 2, Ciprian Ciucu was chosen by 33.29% of the people who voted in the partial elections. In second place was Anca Alexandrescu with 22.47%, followed by Băluță (PSD) with 21.19%.
Even though District 3 is led by PSD mayor Robert Negoiță, the Social Democrats’ candidate Daniel Băluță obtained only 19.56%. The current mayor of District 4 was surpassed by Anca Alexandrescu (21.88%). This district was also won by Ciprian Ciucu with 32.5% of the votes, according to Euronews Romania.
Daniel Băluță obtained his highest score in District 4, where he has been mayor since 2016, namely 27.6%. He was followed by Ciprian Ciucu (27.25%) and Anca Alexandrescu (22.99%).
In District 5, Ciprian Ciucu obtained 28.96% of the votes. He was followed by Anca Alexandrescu (28.84%) and Daniel Băluță (23.45%).
District 6, led by Ciprian Ciucu until his win, gave the mayor 50.64% of votes, the highest of all the scores recorded in Bucharest. He was followed by Anca Alexandrescu (18.6%) and Daniel Băluță (14.8%).
Overall, Ciucu secured over 36% of the votes, followed by Anca Alexandrescu with almost 22%, Daniel Băluță with 20.5%, and Cătălin Drulă (USR) with 13.9%. The fact that the AUR candidate managed to overtake the one supported by the Social Democratic Party was the major surprise of the elections. Most surveys conducted before the elections gave Ciucu and Băluță as neck and neck, with Alexandrescu trailing.
At the opposite end, candidates Constantin Filip, Gheorghe Macovei, Mihai Lasca, Gheorghe Floarea, and Rareș Lazăr obtained a smaller number of votes than the number required to gather the signatures needed to run for general mayor.
Nevertheless, the elections for Bucharest mayor saw the lowest turnout in the last 10 years. Around 32.71% (589,918 voters) decided to cast their votes. The turnout was lower than in 2016, when only 33% of Bucharest residents went to the polls to choose the general mayor. In 2020, the turnout was 36.93%, and in 2024 it was 41.3%.
The most numerous category of voters was that of people aged 45–64, namely 226,993 voters, representing 38.5% of all voters. In second place were those over 64, with 142,146 voters. At the opposite end are young voters under 44.
Politically, the election is a major win for the National Liberal Party, and it seems to have consolidated the ruling centrist coalition made up of PSD, PNL, USR, and UDMR. Ciprian Ciucu, Sorin Grindeanu, and other leaders signaled that the coalition will continue despite the attacks over the campaign.
Commenting on the results, PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu said that “things were not well calibrated” during the campaign, according to Hotnews.ro. “Shifts probably took place in the last days of the campaign,” he argued, avoiding placing blame on the candidate.
Moreover, Ciprian Ciucu’s win can also be seen as a blistering defeat for president Nicusor Dan and the party he founded, the center-right reformist party Save Romania Union (USR). In 2024, Dan won the Bucharest mayoral elections with a dominating score of 48.3%, receiving 352,734 votes. Although Nicușor Dan, now the president of Romania, signaled his support for Cătălin Drulă, he did not manage to transfer his support to the USR candidate.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Codrin Unici, Rezultatevot.ro)
Leave a Reply