The General Council of Bucharest (Consiliul General al Municipiului Bucureşti in Romanian; Consiliul Popular al Municipiului Bucureşti from 1968 to 1989) is the legislative body of the Municipality of Bucharest, and is made up of 55 councillors elected every four years. Together with the Mayor of Bucharest and the Vice-Mayor, the General Council makes up the General City Hall of Bucharest, which is responsible for city-wide affairs, such as the water system, the transport system and the main boulevards. Bucharest is also divided into six sectors, each of which has their own 27-seat Sectorial Council and Mayor, and is responsible for local area affairs, such as secondary streets, parks, schools and the cleaning services.
As of 2012, the General Council is made up of the following party composition. The Social Liberal Union forms the current government on the Council, holding 67.3% of the seats. The alliance supports the current Mayor of Bucharest, the independent Sorin Oprescu.
| Party | Seats | Current Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Liberal Union | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Democratic Liberal Party | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| People's Party – Dan Diaconescu | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Famous quotes containing the words general, council and/or bucharest:
“That sort of half sigh, which, accompanied by two or three slight nods of the head, is pity’s small change in general society.”
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
“I haven’t seen so much tippy-toeing around since the last time I went to the ballet. When members of the arts community were asked this week about one of their biggest benefactors, Philip Morris, and its requests that they lobby the New York City Council on the company’s behalf, the pas de deux of self- justification was so painstakingly choreographed that it constituted a performance all by itself.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)
“I had such a wonderful feeling last night, walking beneath the dark sky while cannon boomed on my right and guns on my left ... the feeling that I could change the world only by being there.”
—Viorica Butnariu, Rumanian student at Bucharest University. letter, Dec. 23, 1989, to American friend. Observer (London, Dec. 31, 1989)