Local elections 2020: Meet the top candidates for the Bucharest mayor seat

Political battles will heat up in the last months of 2020 when the local and parliamentary elections are scheduled. Romanians will first go to the polls on September 27 to elect new mayors and county council presidents. In this article, we're putting the spotlight on Bucharest, where 18 candidates are running for the mayor seat. Find below brief profiles of the top four candidates with the biggest chances of winning this race.

Most of the 18 candidates validated to run for mayor of Bucharest are backed by political parties (14), while four run as independents. But only a few of them have real chances of winning the race, and one of them is incumbent general mayor Gabriela Firea. However, things will not be easy for her, as she is facing an important challenger - Nicusor Dan, an independent candidate backed by a major political alliance. Other high-profile candidates are former president Traian Basescu and former prime minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.