Former President Băsescu Accuses Năstase of “Sacrificing” Bucharest Through budgetary Ordinance
Bucharest, Romania – Former Romanian President Traian Băsescu has launched a scathing critique of a 2000s-era emergency ordinance issued by then-Prime Minister Adrian Năstase, alleging it fundamentally crippled Bucharest’s development and continues to hinder its progress. Speaking on TVR INFO, Băsescu stated Năstase’s ordinance fractured the Capital City Hall’s budget, dividing it amongst the six sector mayors and leaving funds for essential city services like public transport (RATB) and heating (RADET).
Băsescu,who served as the seventh mayor of bucharest’s sectors – following six PSD mayors – contends the ordinance was a deliberate attempt to undermine his mayoral mandate. “Bucharest will not recover until that normative act is repealed by which Adrian Năstase sacrificed a city, out of the desire for him not to fulfill his mandate,” he asserted.
He proposed a solution involving the repeal of Năstase’s ordinance and the conversion of Bucharest into a metropolitan area, incorporating the neighboring Ilfov county. “Ilfovul must be included in Bucharest because Bucharest no longer has room for development. Ilfov has enough land to be able to produce the sustainable development of the Capital,” Băsescu explained, suggesting residents of Ilfov would welcome integration.
Băsescu further criticized the current budgetary structure, stating Bucharest is “the only capital with seven budgets,” were sector mayors prioritize localized projects like “pansies, put benches, change curbs” over crucial city-wide infrastructure. He passionately urged Bucharest residents to protest this system, stating, “I, if I were in the place of the people of Bucharest, I would riot and, if there was a riot on this topic, I would go to the streets.”
he dismissed a recent referendum on the issue, claiming politicians disregard the will of the people, and lamented the influence of “traffickers of influence” reaching high levels of power. Prior to Năstase’s ordinance, Băsescu recalled a system where the General Council assigned tasks to sectors with allocated funding, ensuring alignment with the Capital City Hall’s objectives.
