Five days remain until the mayoral elections in Bucharest, and some of the candidates for the post are making exotic promises, some of which are impossible to achieve, the newspaper “Adeverul“ writes in its article on the subject, BTA reported.
Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bucharest
The youngest candidate to succeed current President Nikusor Dan as mayor, 32-year-old Lazar Rareş, an entrepreneur and vice-chairman of the “Romania in Action“ party, has launched the idea of organizing a Formula 1 race in Bucharest.
“Formula 1 means asphalt that endures and a city that learns to "is moving efficiently," he argued on the national television station TeVere. According to his calculations, the implementation of the project would cost over 100 million euros.
The municipality allocates a similar amount to pay benefits to people with disabilities, notes the newspaper “Adeverul“ and adds that the new mayor of Bucharest will also have to find co-financing for large projects, such as the rehabilitation of tram lines and the replacement of heating pipes.
By the way, the idea of holding a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bucharest is not new. When he was prime minister, Victor Ponta said that he wanted to organize a Formula 1 race on the streets of the city.
Duneries in schools
Another exotic idea comes from Oana Cretu - the founder of the United Social Democratic Party. In a series of videos on her official TikTok account, she suggests that the free breakfast for students - a muffin with milk - be replaced with a doner.
“If Nikusor Dan becomes president, he likes doner, has children and knows what a doner is, then I will run for mayor of Bucharest and we will start offering doner instead of a muffin with milk. First in schools in Bucharest, then throughout the country. Because Nikusor Dan likes döner“, reads one of her messages on the Internet, liked by over 260,000 people.
Free public transport
The independent candidate, journalist from Romanian Reality Television Anca Alexandrescu, who is supported by the nationalist Alliance for the Unification of Romanians, launched an idea that was also proposed by the former mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firia, in 2016 - free public transport.
“Today I was looking at the numbers and talking to some experts. Did you know that it is possible, through efforts and if we earn money from tourism, from other activities, if we contribute money to the capital's budget from other resources, for public transport in Bucharest to be free? Currently, the Metropolitan Municipality subsidizes 80 percent of transport in Bucharest. "We need to work on urban mobility," commented Anca Alexandrescu, quoted by the newspaper "Adeverul".
Free parking
Another independent candidate, Gheorghe Netsoiu, a former shareholder of the football club Dinamo Bucharest, wants no one to pay for a parking space in the Romanian capital.
“The biggest problem in Bucharest now is traffic. "If I were mayor, no driver would pay a single lei for parking," Netoiu claimed in an interview with Fanatic.
In addition to depriving the city hall of an important source of income, Netoiu ignores the fact that such a measure would most likely lead to a shortage of parking spaces in important areas, as has happened in other cities that have tried a similar model, the newspaper Adeverul notes.
According to the media, the idea of his opponent, independent candidate and former MEP Eugen Teodorovic, is more realistic. Probably inspired by the price promised by former Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu for a liter of fuel, the former finance minister claims that he wants to charge parking at 1 lei per hour (about 0.2 euros) - a price that is five times lower than the current one.
“If I become mayor, from December 8, parking in Bucharest will be only one lei. From 5 lei, as it currently costs per hour, it will become 1 lei everywhere in Bucharest“, Teodorovic promises in a clip on the social network TikTok.
Heat energy and hot water at half price
The candidate of the Young People's Party, Gheorghe Burcea, proposes to halve the costs of hot water and heat energy. Currently, the price of heat energy is approximately 350 lei/gigacalorie (140 lv), and of hot water - approximately 30 lei/cubic meter (12 lv). Prices are among the lowest in the country, despite the fact that Bucharest is the most prosperous city, commented "Adeverul".
Ban on LGBT community parades
Mihai Ioan Lasca, a former member of the Alliance for the Unification of Romanians and current member of the Romanian People's Patriots Party, has promised to ban parades organized by the LGBT community. In theory, a mayor can ban an event, but in reality, participants can ignore such a provision.