Residents of the Romanian capital were voting Sunday for a new mayor in a close race against a backdrop of unpopular austerity measures and disillusionment with elections
Surveys indicate a close race which will be swayed by a substantial number of undecided voters. Four candidates are considered to be in with a chance of winning the election.
The poll is seen as a test for the governing coalition, which is seeking to claw back support despite austerity measures designed to cut a budget deficit of 9.3% of GDP in 2024, the highest across the European Union.
Almost 1.8 million Bucharest residents were eligible to vote on Sunday, in a tight race where turnout is expected to be low.
The post has been vacant since Nicușor Dan was elected president in May, having won re-election for mayor a year earlier. The winner of Sunday’s race will stay in the post until the next local elections, scheduled for 2028.
Polls opened at 7:00 and will close at 21:00. The election is a single-round race and does not depend on turnout.
Some 17 entered the race, but two withdrew from the race, throwing in their support for candidates from the same political camp with better chances.
Bucharest, a city of more than two million is divided into six districts. The mayor of the city is manages the city’s centralized water and heating systems, public transport, and the main roads in the traffic-clogged city.
Mayoral elections are also being held in 12 other towns on Sunday.
