Residents of the Romanian capital go to the polls on December 7 to elect a new mayor of Bucharest after former mayor Nicusor Dan, a pro-European centrist, was elected the country’s president in May.
The city of three million which lies in southeast Romania is preparing for a close and unpredictable result and recent polling suggests deep uncertainty among voters with many voters undecided who to elect.
The vote, however, is seen as a litmus test for the country’s overall political climate, a year after presidential elections were cancelled over reports of Russian meddling in the campaign and vote.
Whoever wins the one-round race will be well positioned to have influence in the four-party ruling coalition and potentially run for president in the next presidential elections, scheduled for 2030.
