Romania’s local election in Bucharest has produced a liberal mayor with a fragile mandate—and highlighted just how precarious the country’s politics have become, according to former Romanian diplomat Eusebiu Slavitescu. Speaking to TVP World’s World Talks, he warned that the result exposes a “very divided society” and a social contract that is “far from being rebuilt.” Ciprian Chuku, a liberal and part of Romania’s pro-European camp, won the mayoral race in the capital over a far-right challenger. On paper, that looks like a victory for mainstream politics. In practice, Slavitescu noted, only around a third of Bucharest residents turned out to vote, the lowest participation since 1989. Once you factor in abstention, he said, the city’s new leader was effectively chosen by about 10% of eligible voters. The broader political landscape compounds that legitimacy gap. Extremist forces, Slavitescu argued, now command roughly 42% of the vote, while pro-European parties collectively sit near 50%—a near balance that leaves little room for error. After a year of “political drama” and canceled elections, Slavitescu likened the decision to postpone voting to chemotherapy: a drastic step that might save the patient or kill them. The latest turnout figures, he believes, show trust in institutions remains badly damaged. If there were a path to deflating the far-right, Slavitescu insisted, it would have been through “good governance” after the new cabinet took office in June. Instead, Romanians saw higher taxes, a squeeze on the middle class and no real reform of a public administration still organized along communist-era lines. Traditional parties, both social and liberal democrats, are “almost collapsing,” he said, as voters look for authenticity and answers to everyday problems. For all the talk about Brussels, Slavitescu doubts European issues were decisive in Bucharest. Local voters, he said, care less about the EU flag and more about potholes, housing and visible change in their neighborhoods.
