Cristian Popescu Piedone defends the decision to employ his nephews in the city hall: “It’s not even immoral, who would you like me to work with, all the traitors?”

Cristian Popescu Piedone, the mayor of Sector 5 and candidate for the Capital City Hall, rejected on Friday, in a statement to Digi24, the accusations of nepotism and declared that he does not see anything inappropriate in the decision to hire his nephews under him on the grounds that they they are not 1st degree relatives.

“If he is the grandson of the 17th relative, he is not the grandson of the 1st degree”, said Cristian Popescu Piedone, specifying that for any appointment he has the written consent of the National Integrity Agency. “Relatives only mean 1st degree relatives, that means incompatibility”, he also stated, quoted by news.ro.

Asked by the Digi24 moderator if he doesn’t see a moral problem, Piedone rejected the claim and emphasized that he wants to work with young people, not “traitors”.

“It’s not even immoral, who would you like me to work with, all the traitors? I will stand by my side with those I trust. I am the only one? Take a tour of all this Romania. I have the power to assume it, there is no side of incompatibility”, added Piedone.

“Party nurseries in Romania, with all due respect, have ceased to exist for many years. They thought they were immortal, they have no one and no way to leave. And if we are talking about families, let them look at them, in the territory, because there is no longer a nursery, to whom to pass the baton”, added Piedone, showing that he only has youth around him.

He emphasized that he will apply the same model if he is elected general mayor as he does not want to work with “dinosaurs” but with young people to whom he should hand over the baton.

At the end of February, ANI accused Piedone of employing his son-in-law in an institution subordinate to the City Hall that he leads. In 2021, Libertatea showed how the mayor of sector 5 surrounded himself in the key positions of relatives and relations.

Pedestrians, favorite in the polls

An Avangarde survey commissioned by Digi24 shows that if there were local elections on Sunday, Cristian Popescu Piedone would get 44% of the votes for the Capital City Hall, followed by Nicușor Dan, with 27%, and the PSD-PNL candidate, doctor Cătălin Cîrstoiu, with 16%.

Instead, another Sociopol survey conducted immediately after PSD and PNL announced Cîrstoiu’s candidacy, states that Nicușor Dan would have been voted by 34% of those who expressed a voting option. In second place in voting intentions is Cristian Popescu Piedone, who was indicated by 30% of the respondents. Cătălin Cîrstoiu was the option for 24%.