VIDEO Daniel Băluță launched his candidacy for the Capital City Hall, in a “city too fragmented to function” / Grindeanu: “This time hope does not come from slogans and logos” / What Firea said

Daniel Băluță, the PSD representative in the electoral race that will culminate with the elections on December 7, officially launched his candidacy on Wednesday, and described himself as “the man who understood that it is not enough to identify the problem, you have to solve it”. The event was also attended by the leader of the party, Sorin Grindeanu, and Gabriela Firea, who was absent last week when Băluță took over the leadership of the social-democratic branch in Bucharest, which she had previously led.

At the beginning of the speech, Daniel Băluță talked about some of the Capital's problems, such as traffic and heating, and claimed that he is running for the people who feel these problems.

“For a living but tired city, which no longer has patience for scandal, improvisations and explanations. I am here not to tell stories and not to blame what happened, but because I know how to build, I know how to complete projects and I know how to administer in difficult conditions”, continued Băluță.

The PSD candidate for the Capital City Hall claims that, through his activity as mayor of Sector 4, he “fundamentally changed life in the south of Bucharest”.

“What differentiates me is the way I look at the administration, through the eyes of the people, not through political battles. I am a mayor who puts people at the center and works for solutions, not for titles. Bucharest is not too big a city to lead, it is too fragmented a city to function”, added Daniel Băluță, who described the launch of his candidacy as an “important day for the Capital”.

The event was also attended by former mayor general Gabriela Firea, who was absent last week from the event that marked the takeover of the PSD Bucharest organization by Daniel Băluță, an organization she had led.

What Gabriela Firea said

The former general mayor stated that he met Daniel Băluță in 2016.

“In a few months he would be 10 years old. At that time, I don't know how many politicians or media representatives were giving him a lot of chances in Bucharest, because the idea had appeared that Bucharest votes for the right (…). I discovered in Daniel a volcano of energy and a desire to do more than the administrative routine. We benefited then from the support of Robert (Negoiță, mayor of Sector 3, nr), who coagulated us”, said Gabriela Firea.

She said she was “delighted” to see the PSD president “so involved” in the campaign.

“Thank you Mr. President Sorin Grindeanu, because we have a cohesion, an involvement, a real desire to win without cracks. I am glad to see you so involved in the campaign in Bucharest”, said Gabriela Firea.

She spoke about the period in which she led the Capital City Hall and claimed that she provided “a link” between the sector town halls.

“Daniel and Robert came very often to the Capital City Hall and asked for support, there was a link. We didn't have seven city halls, we had seven colleagues who worked to ensure that the citizens of Bucharest benefited from the same living conditions. I'll tell you a real estate secret, the houses in sectors 3 and 4 are more expensive because they are in sectors 3 and 4, although the elite real estate area is in the north of the Capital”, Gabriela Firea also stated.

PSD leader, about Băluță: “The man Bucharest needs”

Sorin Grindeanu praised the activity of Daniel Băluță as mayor of Sector 4 and said that the things he did must “make a difference in these elections”.

“This time, you should know that hope does not come from slogans and logos, but from the results that Daniel had in Sector 4. He demonstrated these things in Sector 4, he did many things (…), which set him apart in the public administration in Romania, not only in Bucharest. There are things that need to make a difference in these elections, because it is about administration and not about politics. The people of Bucharest, in the elections of December 7, elect a general mayor and it is the case to choose a prime minister who will do administration. Too many times this chair of mayor general has been used as a springboard for something else”, declared Sorin Grindeanu.