Over 732,000 Romanians out of a total of nearly 1.78 million voted on Sunday, November 24, in the referendum initiated by Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan. Over 60% agreed to increase the mayor’s powers.

A minimum of 30% of voters needed to cast their option for the referendum to be validated. Roughly 41% voted, thereby validating the referendum as a major win for the general mayor.

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

The questions were: 

1. Should the Bucharest General Council approve the distribution of local taxes and revenues between the municipal and sector-level administrations? 
2. Should the general mayor be granted the authority to issue construction permits citywide?
3. Should the 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%.

Combined, the first two questions strengthen the position of the general mayor of Bucharest in relation to the districts. The third was added by Social Democratic (PSD) councilors, but mayor Nicusor Dan said he welcomes a more active role for the Bucharest City Hall in the fight against drugs as well.

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

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: George Calin | Inquam Photos)