Cipriani Ciucu of the National Liberal Party is the new mayor of Bucharest

Ciprian Ciucu of the National Liberal Party is the new mayor of Bucharest. This is according to data from almost 60 percent of the election protocols processed after the early local elections held in the Romanian capital on Sunday.

"My dream is coming true", Cipriani Ciucu said in his first comment after the results were announced. "First of all, I want to send a message of unity to the parties in the government coalition, especially the center-right ones. We have a lot of work ahead of us in the Bucharest City Hall, we will have many projects. I want to make Bucharest my life's project, but not in the short term, but in the long term."

Along with the people from his campaign headquarters, the newly elected mayor was also Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who is the leader of the National Liberal Party.

The 47-year-old Ciucu is the district mayor of Sector 6 in the capital. His mandate is known for the renovation of several schools and kindergartens and the construction of new ones, as well as the improvement and creation of parks and green spaces.

Ciucu entered politics in 2000, when he started working in the PR department of the presidency. Between 2021 and 2023, he was the chairman of the Liberal Party in Bucharest. He has a bachelor's degree in political science.

In second place, the voters of Bucharest ranked the independent candidate – journalist Anca Alexandrescu, supported by the opposition nationalist Alliance for the Unification of Romanians and associated with Calin Georgescu.

In her first comment after the results, Alexandrescu made a reference to the annulment by the Constitutional Court of the results of the first round of the presidential election, won by Georgescu. "This is a difficult moment for our country", she said and promised to fight for justice in Bucharest, regardless of the outcome.

Alexandrescu displaced the second-place candidate of the ruling coalition Social Democratic Party, Daniel Baluta, the district mayor of Sector 4.

He was followed by Catalin Drula of the liberal Union for the Salvation of Romania, who was supported by former mayor and current president Nicosor Dan. Fifth place goes to Ana Maria Cicea from the young and fast-growing party "SENSE".

The vote was held peacefully and with a low turnout - only about 33% of eligible voters went to the polls today. The newly elected mayor of Bucharest, Cipriani Ciucu, will complete the remaining two and a half years of the mandate of his predecessor, Nikusor Dan, who was elected president in May this year.