section_path: Mayor of Bucharest (2020–2025)/2024 local elections/Piața Unirii incident
section_name: Piața Unirii incident
paragraph_text: Piața Unirii incident
  
  On 14 October 2024, around midnight, Sector 4 mayor Daniel Băluță (PSD) - with permission from Sector 3 mayor Robert Negoiță - sent multiple construction workers and Sector 4 local police agents to Unirii Park in order to start proceedings for the Square's foundation's consolidation. The Piața Unirii is shared between Sector 3 and Sector 4.
  
  In the morning, Dan went to the square together with his staff, telling the workers present to halt the procedure on the basis of its illegality due to a lack of permits. Allegedly, Metrorex and Apa Nova (Bucharest's water and sewage administration institution) had yet to give their approval for the consolidation work.
  
  A conflict erupted between the Sector 4 local police agents (including its director, Cristian Pîslă, subsequently suspected of corruption) and Dan and his staff. Eventually, the Bucharest mayor returned with additional documents attesting to the fact that the City Hall of Bucharest was the legal owner of Unirii Square and the sector City Halls had no right to start consolidation proceedings on their own. During the scuffles, local police agents were observed to be especially violent, which the wide public of Bucharest viewed as proof of the agents being members of the Sector 4 Clanul Sportivilor, an organisation of the Romanian mafia operating mainly in the southern part of Bucharest who were long suspected to work with Daniel Băluță himself.
  
  The Romanian prime minister at that time, Marcel Ciolacu, intervened in the matter prompting mayor Băluță to concede; Nicușor Dan launched an investigation into the proceedings. He once again stressed the importance on the referendum held on 9 June 2024 for centralising more power to the Bucharest mayor.