How much do the elections for the Capital City Hall cost in 2025. Budget of over 67 million lei

The government allocated 67.6 million lei for the organization of the elections on December 7, 2025, when the citizens of Bucharest will elect their new general mayor. The sum covers MAI and AEP expenses for logistics, security and administration of the electoral process.

The headquarters of the mayor's office of the municipality of Bucharest. Photo: Facebook

The government has established that the organization of partial local elections on December 7, 2025 will cost 67.6 million lei. Of this amount, 45 million belong to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which manages security, public order, transport and securing electoral materials.

Another nearly 17 million goes to the Permanent Electoral Authority, responsible for IT infrastructure, coordination of polling station staff and smooth running of the voting process.

These sums cover the expenses for printing the ballots, setting up the polling stations, paying the allowances of the members of the electoral offices, transporting the materials, as well as the security costs.

How much are the costs of the elections for Bucharest City Hall in 2025

The government has established a total budget of 67.6 million lei for the organization of partial local elections on December 7, 2025. Of this amount, 45 million lei are allocated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for guarding, transporting and securing electoral materials, and almost 17 million lei go to the Permanent Electoral Authority, which coordinates the staff in the polling stations, the IT infrastructure and the procedures for centralizing the results.

The expenses cover the printing of the ballots, setting up the polling stations, paying the members of the electoral offices, transporting the materials and ensuring public order.

For comparison, the 2024 presidential elections were budgeted at over 1.18 billion lei at the national level. However, the vote for Bucharest is partial and involves lower costs, as only the election of the general mayor is concerned.

How much does a vote cost in Bucharest in 2025

According to the data of the Permanent Electoral Authority, in November 2024, 1,786,929 voters were registered on the permanent electoral lists in the Municipality of Bucharest.

Compared to the total budget of 67.6 million lei, it results in a cost of approximately 38 lei for each voter. If we relate the same amount to the entire population of the city, estimated at 3.2 million inhabitants, the cost drops to about 21 lei per inhabitant.

The complete calendar of elections for the General City Hall

The elections for the Bucharest City Hall were set for December 7, 2025, after the former mayor Nicușor Dan won the presidential elections and submitted his resignation. His duties were taken over by Stelian Bujduveanu, the current interim mayor of the Capital.

According to the Administrative Code, the by-elections must be organized within 90 days of the post becoming vacant, and the Government has set the election date on October 21, 2025.

The main stages of the electoral process

• November 11 – 17, 2025: submission of candidacies for the position of Mayor General of the Municipality of Bucharest
• 18 – 19 November 2025: submission of appeals regarding candidacies
• November 20, 2025: resolution of appeals
• November 21, 2025: location of electoral panels
• November 22, 2025: start of the election campaign
• November 24, 2025: drawing of serial numbers on ballot papers
• December 2, 2025: printing of ballots and appointment of polling station presidents
• December 3 – 4, 2025: resolution of appeals regarding the designation of presidents and locations of polling stations
• December 6, 2025, 07:00 a.m.: the end of the electoral campaign
• 7 December 2025, 09:00 – 21:00: voting day
• December 8, 2025: submission of any applications for the annulment of the elections

On the day before the vote, the electoral offices will collect the necessary materials, ensure order and remove propaganda materials from around the polling stations.

Why by-elections are being held in 2025

The administrative code stipulates that the partial elections must be organized within 90 days from the moment when the order of the prefect regarding the vacancy of the position of mayor becomes valid.

In the case of the Capital, Nicușor Dan announced his resignation on May 23, 2025, with effect from May 26, the day on which the prefect's order confirming the termination of the mandate was also issued. Taking into account the 90-day deadline, the elections should have been held by September 3, 2025 at the latest.

However, the Government set the election date only on October 21, for December 7, so after the legal deadline had passed.

The response of the Government led by Ilie Bolojan was that the decision regarding the organization of the elections was to be taken “in the framework of the first meeting of the governing coalition”.

The coalition meeting was scheduled for August 6, 2025, but it was postponed by the PSD, which refused to participate, citing the position of the USR regarding the day of national mourning for Ion Iliescu.

According to political accounts, the real reason for the deadlock was the refusal of some PSD leaders to accept the redistribution of six prefects and sub-prefect positions, the division of leadership of 60 government agencies and the setting of the date of the elections for the Capital City Hall.

The PSD later threatened to withdraw from the government, then reversed the decision, imposing conditions on restructuring the central administration, reducing agencies and changing allowances.

In this context, the Government and the Permanent Electoral Authority neglected their responsibility: the Ministry of the Interior said that it asked the AEP to propose the date of the elections, and the AEP replied that the decision belongs exclusively to the Government.

As a result, this transfer from one institution to another led to the delay in establishing the date of the poll, exceeding the deadline set by the law.

Candidates announced for the Capital City Hall

Until this date, the following people have officially announced their candidacy:

• Daniel Băluță (PSD) – mayor of District 4;
• Ciprian Ciucu (PNL) – mayor of Sector 6;
• Cătălin Drula (USR) – former Minister of Transport;
• Ana Ciceală (SENS and URS.PDF) – former general counsel, activist for environmental protection and civic responsibility;
• Anca Alexandrescu (independent) – journalist and TV producer, supported by AUR and PNȚCD;
• Dan Trifu (independent) – vice-president of the Eco-Civica foundation;
• Alexandru Virgil Zidaru (Makaveli, independent) – influencer and former SOS parliamentary advisor;
• Vlad Dan Gheorghe (independent) – former MEP, jurist and civic activist.

The list remains open until November 17, 2025, the deadline for applications.