Gabriela Vranceanu Firea of the Social Democrat Party and National Union for Romania’s Progress alliance has been elected Bucharest Mayor by a large margin on Sunday, according to three separate exit polls. There is no second round in Romania’s local elections, except if two candidates have the same number of votes.
CURS-Avangarde’s research commissioned by the public television TVR and private Romania TV shows 42.48 per cent for Firea, followed by Nicusor Dan of Save Bucharest Union with 29.82pct and Catalin Predoiu of the National Liberal Party with 12.03pct.
Sociopol, commissioned by the Antena 3 private TV station, credits Firea with 41pct and Dan with 29pct.
IRES, for Digi24 TV, says Firea has 42.1pct and Dan 29.8pct.
Gabriela Firea thanks Bucharesters for electing her as mayor, Nicusor Dan concedes defeat
The new general mayor of Bucharest will be Gabriela Vranceanu Firea, who ran for her Social Democrat Party (PSD) alliance with the National Union for Romania’s Progress. She won in by a large margin against Nicusor Dan of Save Bucharest Union (USB), according to three independent exit polls released immediately after the vote ended at 21.00 on Sunday in local elections for mayors, local councils and county councils throughout Romania.
Firea, who waited for the results at the PSD headquarters, reacted by declaring, “I want to begin honestly by thanking all the Bucharesters who voted today a person and a programme, not against once more. (…) I congratulate the Bucharesters, because they are the winners tonight, but I assure those who have not voted for me that I will be everybody’s mayor.
Dan promised his voters that USB will not make any compromise and announced it will run in the general elections due later this year. “The USB is turning into the Save Romania Union, and will struggle for places in the Parliament in the parliamentary elections this autumn,” he said.
Liberal Predoiu promises to step down from Bucharest party chapter if election defeat confirmed
Catalin Predoiu promised to step down from as leader of the National Liberal Party’s (PNL) Bucharest chapter, if his defeat in the Sunday’s mayoral elections is confirmed.
“I want to inform my party fellows and the Capital’s citizens that I understand to take an act of responsibility, and if tomorrow morning, when the vote counting ends, the results announced tonight by televisions, by polling houses are confirmed, I will give up my mandate of chairman of the Bucharest chapter of the PNL,” he said at the party’s headquarters, as three different exit polls showed a decisive victory of Social Democrat Gabriela Firea.
Minutes later, he actually congratulated Firea for her election.
Bucharest exit polls: SocDems have mayor, five of six districts, not council majority
The Social Democrat Party (PSD) gets the general mayor of Bucharest and the mayors of five of the six districts of Romania’s capital city, but not a majority in the municipal council. Exit polls data were released on Sunday night as the polling stations closed at 21.00 in Romania’s single-round elections for mayors, local and county councils.
PSD Senator Gabriela Vranceanu Firea, running for the alliance her party formed with the National Union for Romania’s Progress (UNPR), is credited by the exit poll of CURS-Avangarde, commissioned by the public television TVR and private Romania TV, with 42.48 per cent, followed by Nicusor Dan of Save Bucharest Union (USB) with 29.82pct; a separate research of Sociopol, commissioned by the Antena 3 private TV station, says Firea 41pct and Dan 29pct; and IRES, for Digi24 TV, give Firea 42.1pct and Dan 29.8pct.
IRES also gave results for Bucharest’s districts. In District 1, USB’s Clotilde Armand was slightly ahead with 31.4pct, followed by Daniel Tudorache (PSD+UNPR) with 30.5pct. PSD+UNPR candidates won in the other five districts, with a landslide for Robert Negoita, 60.3pct in District 3.
In Bucharest’s General Council, according to Sociopol, PSD+UNPR has 38pct, followed by the National Liberal Party (PNL) and USB with 19pct each; in a premiere, the Romanian Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), founded less than one year ago, got 8pct.
IRES gives PSD+UNPR 39.9pct, USB 26.1pct, and PNL 16.4pct.
