Bucharest general mayor Gabriela Firea has delegated her responsibilities to deputy mayor Aurelian Bădulescu during August 8-11. The period coincides with the protest meeting announced in Bucharest on August 10.
Firea had also delegated her tasks to deputy mayor Bădulescu last year, during the Diaspora meeting on August 10, when the gendarmes’ violent intervention against protesters sparked controversies.
According to the decision of delegation of her tasks, Firea mentions the vice mayor’s obligation “to take any other legal actions to ensure peaceful and civilised public gatherings“.
In case the deputy mayor is missing, too, the responsibility to manage the rally on August 10 goes to the director general of Local Police, Daniel Mihai Răsica.
Last year, mayor Firea argued she had to pay an official visit to Tallinn, Estonia to discuss with her counterparts there about administrative reforms.
Liberal city councilman Ciprian Cucu has criticised Firea’s move to be exonerated of any consequences of the rally.
“August 10, so, Firea is out of the picture again. The same like the last time, she is delegating her tasks on public order to Bădulescu. But, guess what. the mayor tasks can go to the Local police chief. If Bădulescu chooses to also disappear (…)”, Ciucu posted on Facebook.
A quarter million protesters expected
Tommy Tomescu, the organiser of the protest meeting in Victoriei Square tomorrow, August 10, has said on Friday that he expects the number of people coming to the rally tomorrow to mount to a quarter million.
The protest meeting is authorised from 17:00hrs to 22:15hrs.
Tomescu said that roadblocks will be set up at all entrances to the Victoriei Square to prevent any blunt objects or sidearms from being introduced. There will be toilets on the venue. Organisers urged people to stock up on water due to the announced scorching heat in Bucharest this weekend.
Tomescu is the representatives of the Diaspora Group for Romania, an NGO that has 75 demands, including:
- conclusion of the investigations on the violent intervention during the Diaspora rally on August 10 last year, and also of the Revolution and Miner Riots files;
- enforcing the past referendum that ruled a maximum number of 300 MPs in the Romanian Parliament.
- amendment of the law on public gatherings that is currently allowing “the abuse of the authorities”;
- establishment of the community centres in the Romanian Diaspora;
- resolution of the elections law, of the drafts on the repatriation and of the cross-border human and sexual trafficking, as well as the issue of the Romanian children’s discrimination in Austria.
- the start of the inquiry on forgery and crimes allegedly committed by the members of the Diaspora Council.