The reviewers completed their work on July 31, 2022, but the preliminary results will not be official until the end of the year. Unofficially, however, there was talk of a significant decrease in the number of city residents, who, according to the last census, numbered 106,847 citizens, written by Botoșanean.

The National Institute of Statistics (INS) estimated that 11 years later, the population of the district municipality is 96,766 inhabitants of Botoshan. Unofficially, it seems that the threshold of 80,000 people is barely reached, which means that in a decade we have lost about a quarter of the city’s population, which is somewhere around 26,000 Botoshan residents.

Botosani Municipality is currently ranked second with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants, and this ranking may change after the official census. And the consequences have already been mentioned.

Article 122 of the Administrative Code also regulates how the number of councilors in the Botosani Local Council is determined:

100,000 to 200,000 23 local councillors

50,000 to 100,000 21 local advisors

However, Mayor Botoshani believes that this will not affect us. Because the depopulation took place at the national level, and the legislation would have to be adapted to the new realities.

“I don’t think it will affect us in any way. As this population decrease is manifested at the national level, and we are now analyzing the population decrease in relation to the regulations that are in force today, but which will certainly be adapted to the new realities of Romania. Because the population also decreased in Craiova, Iasi and Bucharest. And we cannot become a district municipality of a different rank, while Yasul or Craiova grow, because it is possible that they will face a greater decrease in population,” says Kosmin Andrii, mayor of Botosani.

The main chairman does not rule out that the municipalities of the second level have a population of more than 80 thousand inhabitants, and not more than 100 thousand, as now.

Regarding financial deductions to the local budget, the mayor mentioned the law on the metropolis, according to which 30% of the income of citizens who work in other settlements goes to the administrative-territorial unit at their place of residence. And the amounts allocated by the Government would take into account the situation of the population throughout the country.

In the case of deputies of local councils, reducing their number from 23 to 21 could only have a negative political effect. Because large parties, which go to the elections with increased chances of representation, will gain an advantage, and small ones will lose.

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