site.btaGabriela Firea Backed by Romanian PM Ciolacu for Bucharest Mayor

Romania's former family and youth minister Gabriela Firea will run as the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for Bucharest mayor, she said in an interview with Antena 3 CNN, adding that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had confirmed this.

Firea resigned as minister on July 14 over revelations about abusive treatment of elderly people in care homes operating on public funds.

Firea said Ciolacu, who is the party's leader, told her she would be the candidate of SDP Bucharest. Reportedly, he made it very clear that he held information and that, as Prime Minister, he knew she was innocent, but her guilt lay in trusting some people. Her adviser was linked to the person responsible for the care homes and neither Firea nor her adviser were directly involved.

Still, she commented that things might change because the Mayor of Bucharest's Sector 4, Daniel Baluta, is also a potential SDP candidate. The political decision rests with the party and its leadership, said Firea, adding that consultations and analysis of the matter were yet to take place.