Vasile Blaga

Vasile Blaga

Vasile Blaga during the EPP Congress of 2012
President of the Senate
In office
29 November 2011 – 3 July 2012
Preceded by Mircea Geoană
Succeeded by Crin Antonescu
Minister of Internal Affairs
In office
23 December 2009 – 27 September 2010
Preceded by Dan Nica
Succeeded by Traian Igaș
In office
29 December 2004 – 4 April 2007
Preceded by Marian Săniuță
Succeeded by Cristian David
Personal details
Born (1956-07-26) 26 July 1956
Petrileni, Bihor, Romania
Nationality Romanian
Political party National Liberal Party
Spouse(s) Margareta Violett Blaga
Children 2
Alma mater Polytechnic University of Timișoara[1]
National Defence College of Bucharest

Vasile Blaga (Romanian pronunciation: [vaˈsile ˈblaɡa]; born 26 July 1956) is a Romanian politician who was Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate, from 2011 to 2012. He also served as Minister of Regional Development and Housing and twice as Minister of Administration and Internal Affairs.

A member of the Democratic Party, he was the Minister of Administration and Interior in the first Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu government (December 2004 – March 2007) as well as in one of the Emil Boc's governments. He resigned on 27 September 2010. On 28 November 2011, Blaga was appointed President of the Senate of Romania after the revocation of Mircea Geoana on 23 November. On 30 June 2012, he became the leader of PDL in an extraordinary session following the huge loss suffered by the party in the local elections earlier that month. He was dismissed from the office of President of the Senate on 3 July 2012.

Political career

Vasile Blaga and President Traian Băsescu in October 2012

Born in Petrileni, Bihor County, Blaga started his political career after the fall of Communism in Romania in 1989. He was a Member of Parliament in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, representing Bihor County, between 1990 and 1991, after which he became the Prefect of Bihor, serving until 1993.

Following the legislative election of 1996, he became a member of the Romanian Senate from the Democratic Party, representing Bihor County. He was reelected at the 2004 election for the Justice and Truth Alliance, of which the Democratic Party was a member, representing Bucharest (where he presently resides). Blaga was appointed as the Minister of Administration and Interior Affairs later in the same year.

In 2008, he was a candidate for the position of mayor of Bucharest from the Democratic-Liberal Party, seeking to replace incumbent mayor Adriean Videanu, who did not want to compete for a second term.

He came second in the first round of the elections, trailing independent Sorin Oprescu. For the second round, he gained the support of Gigi Becali's New Generation Party[2] and of the Social Democrat mayor Bucharest's Sector 2, Neculai Onțanu,[3] as well as the opposition of National Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (Romania).[4] Oprescu won the race on a 56-44 margin.[5] He was the president of the Democratic-Liberal Party until its dissolution in the summer of 2014, when it merged with the National Liberal Party, of which he served as co-president, along with Alina Gorghiu, until 28 September 2016.[6] On that date, Blaga was charged with influence peddling by the National Anticorruption Directorate and announced his resignation as party co-leader, though he maintained he is innocent.[7]

References

  1. ↑ (Romanian) Curriculum vitae at the Romanian Senate site
  2. ↑ "Becali ţine cu Blaga", in Evenimentul Zilei, 3 June 2008
  3. ↑ "Onţanu îl sprijină pe Blaga!", Evenimentul Zilei, 3 June 2008
  4. ↑ "Alianţe electorale ale partidelor împotriva PD-L", BBC Romanian, 3 June 2008
  5. ↑ "BEM: Sorin Oprescu a fost declarat primar general al Capitalei", Evenimentul Zilei, 17 June 2008
  6. ↑ "Alina Gorghiu este noul copreședinte PNL, alături de Vasile Blaga". Digi24 (in Romanian). 18 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Vasile Blaga demisionează de la conducerea PNL. Nu mai candidează". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
Political offices
Preceded by
Mircea Geoană		 President of the Senate
2011–2012 		Succeeded by
Crin Antonescu
Party political offices
Preceded by
Emil Boc		 President of the Democratic Liberal Party
2012–2014 		Succeeded by
Office abolished
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