The citizens of Bucharest with the right to vote are expected at the polls on Sunday, November 24, to express their option, in addition to the presidential elections, and regarding a local referendum initiated by the General Mayor Nicuşor Dan. It is about a crucial referendum for the future of the Capital and for the way it will develop, a referendum to which citizens with the right to vote can answer YES or NO to the following questions:
- whether the mayor general should issue all building permits in the city
- whether the distribution of local revenues, resulting from income taxes and local taxes and fees, should be approved by the General Council both for the General City Hall and for the city halls of the six sectors of the Bucharest municipality
- if the General City Hall has to finance education programs for health and the prevention of drug use in schools.
Voting takes place in the same precincts where the presidential elections are held, between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Voters will receive four ballots: one for the presidential and three for the referendum. For validation, a presence of 30% of Bucharest voters is required, i.e. approximately 540,000 people and 25% of the votes to be validly cast. Romanian citizens who have their domicile or residence in Bucharest can vote in the referendum, regardless of when they established their residence, including those who recently obtained their "floating visa".
The organization of the referendum costs between 10 and 11 million lei, and the mayor Nicuşor Dan believes that the results will influence the development of the Capital, by reorganizing the budget, stopping urban chaos and supporting health education.