The local referendum that will take place in Bucharest on June19th, the first of its kind, has a huge stake. Whoever controlsBucharest controls Romania.
The main effect of a majority vote in favour of such a measurewill be that the cumulated budgets of the sectors - 1 billion eurosin 2010 - would be added to the budget of the Municipality ofBucharest, which itself approaches 1 billion euros, with power overBucharest to concentrate into the hands of one person, the generalmayor, and one council, the General Council of the Municipality ofBucharest (CGMB). The sectors are set to be replaced by severaldepartments, which would only manage the policies decided at thelevel of the General City Hall.
Bucharest residents will have their say on June 19th on whethersectors should be abolished or held on to as stand-aloneadministrations (they will not disappear as territorial units) withtheir own budget and their own rules on taxes. The three keyquestions (out of a total of seven) that Romanians will answer by"yes" or "no" are: "Do you want a Capital with 6 sectors and 7administrations?; "Do you want a Capital with 6 sectors and onesingle administration?"; Do you agree that Bucharest be ruled bythe general mayor and the CGMB?".
A majority "yes" vote to the first question leaves things asthey are at present. A majority "yes" vote to the second questionmeans at next year's elections there will only be candidates forgeneral mayor and for general councillors. The result would be aunified budget of the General City Hall and sector city halls - a 2billion-euro yearly budget that will be managed by one mayor andone council.
It is hard to say what the result of a majority "yes" to thethird question would be, but there are two possibilities: forsector mayors to stay, but play a purely decorative role, or thatthese institutions disappear.
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