Bucharest could become the first European Union capital led by a hard-right mayor in Sunday’s local election, a contest which threatens Romania’s fragile pro-European coalition government.
The influential post has been vacant since May when centrist Nicusor Dan won a presidential election re-run one year into his second term as mayor.
The re-run came after Romania cancelled an election on suspicion of Russian interference that favoured far-right frontrunner Calin Georgescu, who is currently awaiting trial on charges of attempting to subvert national security.
Polls show TV anchor Anca Alexandrescu, running as an independent backed by the opposition hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), tied for first place in the mayoral race. Analysts caution, however, that surveys may be unreliable as Romania’s biggest city isn’t a far right stronghold.
Voting closes at 9pm Cyprus time with preliminary results expected later on Sunday.
AUR opposes military aid to neighbouring Ukraine, is critical of EU leadership and supportive of United States President Donald Trump’s policies including on energy and immigration.
Alexandrescu’s main rivals all come from the broad coalition government: leftist Social Democrat Daniel Baluta who polls show to be tied in first place, Ciprian Ciucu, the protégé of Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, and Catalin Drula of centre-right Save Romania Union (USR), which backed Dan’s presidential bid.
The Social Democrats (PSD), without whom a ruling pro-European majority could not be formed, joined the government on condition that each party had separate mayoral candidates, undermining centre-right Ciucu and Drula.
“On the one hand, the stakes for AUR are huge, winning the capital would dispel the idea of a sanitary cordon isolating extremist parties,” said Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University.
“On the other, if any of the ruling coalition’s candidates wins, then it will change the balance of power in the ruling coalition.”
Alexandrescu, a former PSD spokeswoman, was a vocal supporter of Georgescu – who did not endorse her or any other candidate – and is targeting the same voters angry at mainstream parties they perceive as incompetent and corrupt.
The government faces a no-confidence vote this month over judicial pension reform. AUR has said it would be willing to ally with the Social Democrats, who have rejected the idea but some of whom are pushing for the resignation of Prime Minister Bolojan over austerity plans.
Last year’s cancelled election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades, exposed its deep vulnerability to hybrid attacks and disinformation, divided voters, crashed markets and threatened the country’s investment-grade rating.
