The referendum initiated by the mayor of Bucharest passed easily

More than 732,000 Romanians out of nearly 1.78 million voted on Sunday, November 24, in a referendum initiated by Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. More than 60% agreed to expand the mayor’s powers.

In order for a referendum to be recognized as valid, it is necessary that at least 30% of voters vote in favor of their option. Approximately 41% voted, thereby confirming the referendum as a major victory for the mayor general.

The referendum asked citizens to decide on the distribution of funds between the Bucharest City Hall and sectoral mayors, the issuance of building permits and the implementation of a drug prevention program in schools.

The questions were:

1. Should the General Council of Bucharest approve the distribution of local taxes and revenues between municipal and sectoral administrations?
2. Should the mayor general be given the authority to issue building permits throughout the city?
3. Should City Hall fund and implement drug prevention and health education programs in schools?

With 99.22% of the votes counted, the first question passed with 66.44%, the second with 64.39% and the third with 85.55%.

Taken together, the first two questions strengthen the position of the General Mayor of Bucharest vis-à-vis the districts. A third was added by councilors from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), but Mayor Nicusor Dan said he welcomed a more active role for Bucharest City Hall in the fight against drugs as well.

Nicuşor Dan, who was re-elected to a second term as mayor in local elections earlier this summer, has long argued that City Hall does not have the budget to solve all of Bucharest’s problems, with much of the money going to the districts. He also condemned developers for creating high-density areas that worsen traffic flow.

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(Photo source: George Kalin | Inquam Photos)