President Nicușor Dan on Friday appointed Ilie Bolojan for the position of prime minister of Romania, at the end of almost four weeks of negotiations between the president and the PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and the group of national minorities for training the future government.
At the age of 56, Ilie Bolojan, the current president of the Senate, assured the interim at the Cotroceni Palace on February 12, after the resignation of Klaus Iohannis, until May 26, when President Nicușor Dan was invested.
Over time, the name of Bolojan has been conveyed as a possible solution to Romania's prime minister, but never with a materialized offer. Before the presidential final, Nicuşor Dan repeatedly said that, once the Cotroceni Palace, Ilie Bolojan will be appointed to the head of the Government.
Who is Ilie Bolojan
Ilie Bolojan was born on March 17, 1969 in Birtin, Vadu Crișului commune, Bihor county.
He graduated from the “Emanuil Gojdu” Mathematics-Physical High School in Oradea in 1987 and attended mechanics (1988-1993) and mathematics (1990-1993) at the “Traian Vuia” Polytechnic Institute, which became the Technical University of Timisoara. Between 1993-1994 he was a teacher at the auxiliary school Tileagd.
Political career of Ilie Bolojan
Ilie Bolojan was, in turn, a local councilor, county councilor, prefect, mayor, president of the County Council, president of the Senate, interim president of Romania, and now appointed for the position of prime minister.
In 1993, in the middle of the era Iliescu, he enrolled in the PNL, an opposition party. In 1996, he ticks the first position in the public administration: he is elected local councilor in Aleşd, a town near Oradea.
At the 2004 local elections, Ilie Bolojan still climbs a political step: he is elected county councilor in Bihor.
At that time, Traian Basescu, supported by the PNL-PD alliance, manages to defeat Adrian Nastase (PSD) and becomes the President of Romania. At the head of the government is named Călin Popescu Tariceanu, at that time the PNL leader. In turn, Tariceanu calls the prefects of the new power. In Bihor, Ilie Bolojan is installed.
At that time, Traian Basescu, supported by the PNL-PD alliance, manages to defeat Adrian Nastase (PSD) and becomes the President of Romania. At the head of the government is named Călin Popescu Tariceanu, at that time the PNL leader. In turn, Tariceanu calls the prefects of the new power. In Bihor, Ilie Bolojan is installed.
After a few months in office, the name Bolojan has a national resonance. The reason: passports and car documents have started to be released in just two hours. “A true revolution”, titled the Bihorian press at that time.
Performance at local level, Ilie Bolojan is brought to Bucharest by Prime Minister Tariceanu and appointed as Secretary General of the Government. The first measure: he removed the TVs from the offices.
“When I was appointed Secretary General of the Government, to know what that hardship is, I entered the basement, to the floor. I went through the offices and what surprised me was that almost every office was going on a TV. They were on the news TVs. Less at the Press Office (…) ”, Bolojan told Bolojan.
Three times mayor at his home
At the 2008 local elections, Ilie Bolojan returned home to Oradea, and was chosen by the first round. Although after the first year he had only 15% in polls, Bolojan managed to win the second term of mayor with a percentage of 66%. Beyond the administrative performance, political support also mattered: in 2012, Bolojan was the common PNL-PSD candidate, who formed at that time USL, with Crin Antonescu and Victor Ponta as co-presidents.
As a mayor, Ilie Bolojan imposed a drastic reform of the budgetary apparatus.
In the local elections of 2016, Ilie Bolojan won the third term of mayor with a percentage of over 70%, the clearest political victory in his entire career.
The PSD counter -candidate obtained below 10%. After 12 years at the town hall and 550 million euros attracted from European funds, Bolojan took the next step, won the head of the Bihor County Council.
Thus, at the local elections of 2020, the Ilie Bolojan brand brought a majority for the PNL and at the County Council, and at the Oradea Local Council, the City Hall being won by the Liberal Florin Birta, former deputy mayor in Era Bolojan. At the head of the county, Bolojan applied the recipe from the City Hall: he kicked about 40% of the employees.
PNL president after Nicolae Ciuca missed the presidential final
Ilie Bolojan became interim president of the PNL after the resignation of Nicolae Ciuca in November last year. He left the PNL chief after the defeat suffered in the presidential elections on November 24.
In February 2024, Ilie Bolojan took over the mandate of interim president of Romania as a result of the resignation of Klaus Iohannis.
Ilie Bolojan resumed on May 26 the mandate of president of the Senate, after handing over the mandate of head of Nicuşor Dan.
