Appeals Court decides: rejected candidate may still run for Bucharest city hall

Sorin Oprescu, the ex-Social Democrat (PSD) who withdrew from the party to run as an independent for the Bucharest city hall in June local elections, may run for the top administrative job in the Romanian capital city. A final decision in this regard was made by the Appeals Court on Tuesday after a series of challenges prevented Oprescu to had his candidacy registered in due time.

The Appeals Court rejected an appeal by a pensioner who claimed Oprescu, a doctor, used the data of his patients at a hospital in Bucharest to meet the requirements for his list of supporters be registered as legal. The appeal prevented Sorin Oprescu to successfully have his candidacy accepted after a series of disputes before electoral and judicial bodies.

Sorin Oprescu opted earlier this month to withdrew from the opposition PSD party, who chose another candidate for Bucharest mayor, so that he could also run for the job. But his candidacy was not registered in due time as he faced claims of irregularities in collecting the necessary signatures from Bucharest supporters.