Plot twist in Bucharest’s mayoral race: Coalition leaders sidestep notables for unknown Cătălin Cîrstoiu in strategic power play

Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă can breathe a sigh of relief. After a long search, they’ve found a candidate without political ambitions, neither too liberal nor too Social Democratic, somewhat aligned with the Băsescu faction through alliance and his father’s political stance, with zero experience in public administration. The two leaders primarily sought a candidate who, if he wins the Capital, wouldn’t jeopardize their leadership positions in the PNL or PSD. I’ve already explained why, so I won’t go back into it.

In his dual role as manager at a state hospital and shareholder in a private clinic owned with his wife, it can be said he has some business and managerial experience, but the Capital is more than just a patient.

The last doctor who tried to treat Bucharest with the corrupt doctor’s recipe ended up caught with envelopes stashed with cash on him. Today, he hides in Greece from his prison sentence. Sorin Oprescu, also from the University Hospital, left behind a metastasizing patient, the cancer that his colleague Cătălin Cîrstoiu talks about today. Gabriela Firea as mayor almost unplugged the patient. Nicușor Dan barely managed to resuscitate it in his first term and keep him alive on life support.

Doctor Cătălin Cîrstoiu appears as a professional in his orthopedic profession. No one disputes his qualities. However, his notoriety in the Capital tends towards zero. Who had heard of him until recently? He himself admits he had no time for interviews. In the few public appearances after announcing his candidacy, he managed to display an arrogance hard to conceal, accompanied by a very good opinion of himself.

„I work too much. Too dynamic. I arrive first and leave last at the hospital. It will be the same at the city hall,” Cîrstoiu replied when asked how he would describe himself.

Despite the awkwardness inherent to his first public appearances, Cîrstoiu should not be underestimated by his opponents. He is quasi-anonymous, but there are still two and a half months until the elections. Can he recover the notoriety deficit with an aggressive campaign? It’s hard to believe, but not impossible.

Look beyond the arrogance, and you’ll see a good speaker, with contacts almost everywhere as any doctor that journalists, politicians, celebrities have called upon. The classic type: a network man, unknown to the general public, but very well connected. His father was the mayor of Pitești, a parliamentarian from the PD party. So, he doesn’t come from nowhere.

Radu Tudor, the host at Antena 3, emphasized during the interview that he has a special relationship with Doctor Cîrstoiu, who responded to calls from several colleagues in the trust.

He seems like a non-confrontational candidate, avoids abrupt expressions, and seeks to maintain cordial relations even with his adversaries. Relevant in this regard is his characterization of Nicușor Dan, whom he said is a good mathematician and whose intelligence he admires. Even about Piedone, he said, „He is a hardworking man,” avoiding returning his attacks. It will be quite difficult for Nicușor Dan to address such a colorless and versatile adversary.

It remains to be seen if he will manage to convince the two parties to rally behind him. The relationship by marriage to Traian Băsescu is not necessarily to his advantage. The former president supports Nicușor Dan.

For now, it is entirely unclear who pulled Cătălin Cîrstoiu out of the hat and placed him on the table of PNL and PSD as a joint candidate. However, we can understand why. Marcel Ciolacu’s goal was to block Gabriela Firea’s path to another term at the Capital’s city hall. A potential victory would have endangered his position as PSD leader. Ciolacu was most afraid that Firea would run for Cotroceni if she won Bucharest.

It’s noteworthy that Firea fought with the party president until the last second, something other PSD members haven’t done lately. Now, Firea, emerging from the scandal of the „horror care homes” that threatened to end her political career, is placed third at the European Parliament elections. A political performance in itself. It’s interesting to see who Ciolacu will install as the head of PSD Bucharest after Gabriela Firea exits the stage.