National Liberal Party (PNL) First Vice-President Ciprian Ciucu said on Tuesday that the date for the partial elections for Bucharest City Hall is 7 December, adding that the coalition has decided that each party is to put forward its own candidate, mentioning that he cannot announce his candidacy until a decision is made within the PNL, but a poll shows him clearly as the top option.
Ciucu stated that the first topic discussed in the coalition meeting was related to the partial elections for the Bucharest City Hall and the Buzau County Council, confirming that "the date agreed by everyone was 7 December."
"Also, the coalition has decided at the political level that each party within the coalition will field its own candidate, meaning we will all have our own candidates and this is the final decision and I have also informed my colleagues in the PNL," he added.
Asked if he would be the PNL's candidate for Bucharest City Hall, Ciucu responded: "Regarding the fact that each party must come up with its own candidate, as is already known in the public space, I conducted an opinion poll, our own poll, which, to be fair, shows me as the clear option for Bucharest City Hall, about a month and a half ago."
"I cannot announce my candidacy, nor even my intention to run, because I like things to be properly set in their place. First and foremost, we need to ensure that the Government will issue the decision on Thursday for the organisation of partial elections, after that, we have internal procedures, statutory procedures that I must go through and I am waiting to see if I will receive the support of my colleagues. Thus, I do not want to announce any candidacy at this stage, I am reserved on this matter until all these steps have been completed," Ciucu explained.
According to him, things will move very quickly, as the electoral campaign period and all deadlines are halved in the case of partial elections.
"So, we expect that on Thursday, at the Government meeting, as agreed within the coalition, the Government will issue the decision [the resolution]; it will include all these deadlines. (...) The electoral campaign will last a maximum of three weeks, but it could also be just two weeks," Ciprian Ciucu added.
Comentează