Capital referendum validated; Parliament's decision awaits

The referendum initiated by the general mayor of the capital, Nicuşor Dan, passed both validation conditions, with over 40% of the eligible voters of Bucharest participating in Sunday's vote, i.e. more than 700,000 people, well above the required threshold of 30%. Furthermore, it also passed the validity condition regarding the minimum threshold of 25% of validly cast votes, which means that the general mayor's wishes have been approved by the people of Bucharest and they must be included in a proposal to amend the Administrative Code, a legislative initiative that would be approved by the future political majority that will be formed in Parliament following the elections on December 1.

When asked whether the City Hall of Bucharest should be required to issue building permits only, 66.44% of the referendum participants answered YES, while 33.56% opposed such a measure. The residents of the Capital also validated Mayor Nicuşor Dan's wish that the distribution of taxes and fees between the General City Hall and the district city halls be approved by the General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest. On this point, 64.39% of Sunday's voters agree that the amounts allocated to the Capital and its six districts should be divided by decision of the General Council, while 35.61% voted against.

The referendum also confirmed the validation of the measure proposed by the General Council, whereby the City Hall of Bucharest should finance and implement a health education and drug prevention program in Bucharest schools. 84.55% of the participants in the referendum approved this measure, while only 15.45% voted against.

Although the results show significant support for the proposed initiatives, the referendum has a consultative character. The changes requested by the Bucharest residents require approval by the Parliament or the Government, through the adoption of specific normative acts. One of these should grant the right to the general mayor to issue building permits throughout the administrative territory of the Capital, a change that could simplify the current procedures.