The Bucharest Electoral Office dismissed yesterday Sorin Oprescu's candidacy in the Bucharest general mayor election by invalidating almost 5,000 signatures out of the 40,000 support signatures. The ex Social-Democrat will address the Bucharest Courthouse against the decision. The senator claimed behind this decision there was a political-administrative plot and he mentioned he was "almost convinced" there had been pressure on the members of the Bucharest Electoral Office so that they would turn down his candidacy. He argued it was about political pressure, adding he was suspecting a transparty deal against him. And he also admitted that maybe his colleagues in the PSD (Social-Democrat Party) didn't want him to join this electoral confrontation. Yesterday he wondered who was afraid of him. He uttered the names of Mircea Geoana and Traian Basescu, a former mayor of Bucharest. As for the idea of returning to the PSD, he was straight: "No way!" And he added he had no intention to join a different party. (...) Liberal candidate: I disagree Ludovic Orban, a Liberal candidate wishing to become a ganeral mayor of Bucharest, expressed his disagreement yesterday with the dismissal of his opponent's candidacy, arguing that it was an attempt to favor the PSD candidate Cristian Diaconescu and the PD-L (Democrat-Liberal Party) candidate Vasile Blaga. He commented: " One doesn't gain electors' trust in democracy by dismissing candidates. You get trust due to your public conduct and to the quality and realism of projects. I hope the Courthouse will make a lawful decision in keeping with democratic norms. Somehow I feel solidarity for Sorin Oprescu. I was in a similar situation when the Alliance actually forbade me to run for the mayor election in 2005 and supported Adriean Videanu instead." (...) Gusa: It is because of his own conduct Cozmin Gusa, a representative of the National Initiative Party to run in the same elections, the dismissal of Sorin Oprescu is no surprise. He opines there has been no pressure on the members of the Bucharest Electoral Office. The candidate argues: "I think it is because of his own conduct. One can't count on all sorts of bizarre structures when one wants to do something related to the law and to one's future political career." (R.P., R.G.)