A political debate has erupted in Bucharest over the name of a new park in the capital’s 4th Sector after local authorities proposed naming it after U.S. President Donald Trump and then put the matter to an online vote.
The proposal concerns the expansion of Tudor Arghezi Park on Metalurgiei Boulevard. Initially, Daniel Beluță, mayor of Bucharest’s 4th Sector, proposed naming the new section of the park “Donald J. Trump,” citing the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence and the symbolism of the Romanian-American partnership. Following public criticism, he suggested that residents choose a name through an online poll.
The list of options included the names of Western and European politicians, among them Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Maia Sandu, Emmanuel Macron, Jacques Chirac, François Mitterrand, Václav Havel, Helmut Kohl, and Angela Merkel. According to Digi24, Maia Sandu held a commanding lead in the early stages of voting: after approximately 4,000 votes, she had garnered about 60%, while Trump had 16% and Barack Obama had 15%.
However, by the end of the online poll, the situation had changed. Mayor Daniel Băluță announced that, based on the results of the vote, the new section of the park would be named Donald J. Trump. According to HotNews, more than 28,000 people voted for this option, and a total of over 116,000 people participated in the vote on the names of the park and the ice arena. The next step should be the approval of the name by the local council of Sector 4.
Romanian media note that the vote was accompanied by controversy. Opposition representatives from the USR pointed to possible violations and drew attention to a sharp increase in the number of votes in favor of Trump on the night before the poll closed. According to HotNews, one of the USR’s advisors claimed that there were about 30,000 votes by Saturday evening, but by Sunday morning, the number had risen to about 70,000.
Thus, the initial reports of Maia Sandu’s lead were accurate only for the early stage of voting. According to the latest reports from Romanian media, Donald Trump emerged as the ultimate winner of the online poll, although the result still requires administrative approval.
The story garnered widespread attention because it turned the question of naming a district park in Bucharest into a symbolic debate about Romania’s foreign policy priorities, its relationship with the U.S. and Moldova, and the role of public consultations in local politics.
