The price of dissent in politics. Why is Constantin Toma condemned to remain in the PSD, although the party left him without support
Constantin Toma, the mayor of Buzau, announced on Tuesday, June 2, his resignation from the leadership positions held within the PSD. This decision marks the culmination of an open conflict with the management of the formation. Political analyst Adi Zăbău detailed for “Adevărul” the stakes and consequences of this political divorce.
Constantin Toma, the mayor of Buzau. PHOTO: Facebook
Constantin Toma resigned from the two leadership positions he held in the Social Democratic Party (PSD): president of the Buzău PSD Municipal Organization and first vice-president of the PSD Buzău County Organization.
“Dear Buzoians, today, June 2, 2026, I resigned from the two leadership positions I held in the Social Democratic Party, respectively as president of the PSD Municipal Organization and first vice-president of the PSD County Organization”Toma sent.
He explained that the decision comes after, in the last two meetings of the Buzău Municipal Local Council, “an important part of the PSD councilors voted against some projects initiated by me, as mayor”.
Constantin Toma also referred to the term of office, noting that on June 5 it will be 10 years since he was elected mayor of Buzau.
“On June 5, it will be 10 years since you elected me as mayor and I have tried through the projects proposed for approval to the City Council to meet your expectations and interests. I took over the City Hall in a very difficult situation and together with the team I built we managed to achieve good results, with echoes both throughout the country and abroad”. he wrote.
In his message, the mayor states that the decision to withdraw from PSD management positions is determined by the tense relations within the local organization.
“Given the hostile attitude of the PSD local leadership and an important part of PSD local councilors, I appreciate that I no longer find myself in the leadership positions from which I resigned”, he specified.
At the same time, the mayor expressed his regret for the decision taken, claiming that the PSD Buzău organization is “one of the best performing at the national level” and that, under his leadership, the social democrats obtained a majority in the City Council for the first time.
An easily predictable outcome
After several months in which Toma publicly criticized the leadership of the party, taking a position including on Ilie Bolojan's side, his departure from PSD leadership should not be a surprise, says political analyst Adi Zăbava.
“At the moment, I think that the announced reason is also the one that has now led to the resignation. It was, perhaps, an expected situation, given the positioning of Constantin Toma in the last period. There is hardly any dissent in the Romanian political parties that would not lead, at some point, to a break in the relationship. I think that even in the present case we could not expect anything else, especially after the installation of Marcel Ciolacu at the head of the Buzău County Council”. explained the specialist.
Most likely, says Adi Zăbău, the main reason for the resignations announced by Constantin Toma is the one cited, namely the loss of political support within the Buzău City Council.
“Even if the two were together in the campaign and it seemed, at that time, that the national criticisms formulated by Toma did not affect the relationship at the local level, here it is that in the end the harsh criticisms led to this rupture. Not only and perhaps, the way the local PSD councilors began to relate to the mayor Toma represented an alarm signal for him. If he had not distanced himself from the PSD, he could have had problems of a different nature and personally settle things that belonged, to a certain extent, to the party”, added Adi Zăbăva.
Electoral calculations for the term of mayor
Although he gave up his leadership positions, Constantin Toma remains a member of the party in order to keep the mandate he won at the polls, the legislation in force requiring this compromise.
“Mayors are tied to the party by law and cannot resign from the party without losing their mandate, despite the fact that, most of the time, people vote for the person and not necessarily the political party. There are still two years until the local elections, and the period is long enough for many things to change.” emphasizes the analyst.
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Regarding the political future, says Adi Zăbău, the mayor could choose to run for another political party or as an independent in 2028.
“Constantin Toma categorically won the elections for the Buzău City Hall in 2016, and I have no information indicating that his image in the municipality has deteriorated to such an extent that it no longer allows him to win. In general, strong mayors manage to keep their position regardless of the party they run for. However, we are talking about Buzău, a traditional fiefdom of the PSD, and this could create certain difficulties for Constantin Toma if, in two years, he will run as an independent or from another political formation. However, it is still too early for conclusions, and until the next election there is still enough time for political reconfigurations.”Zăbava pointed out.
PSD central leadership, short-term winner
From the perspective of the overall picture of the party, Toma's isolation considerably reduces the impact of his criticism launched in the public space. Without a county leader's platform, the mayor's speech risks losing weight.
“To a certain extent, yes, the PSD leadership can consider that they are getting rid of a dissident voice. Constantin Toma's statements had visibility mainly because he was part of the Social Democratic Party and held leadership positions. With the loss of these positions, it is possible that the public impact of his statements will decrease.”
The analyst also notes the possible risks of a definitive exclusion of the mayor from the ranks of the social democrats.
“On the other hand, a possible complete removal from the party could also bring him a certain capital of victimization. At the same time, Toma does not lose his mandate as mayor, and his public positions will continue to exist. However, it is very possible that they will no longer benefit from the same visibility as before. From this perspective, the current central leadership of the PSD can be considered a winner, because Constantin Toma's statements will probably no longer generate the same public attention in the conditions that he no longer holds leadership positions in party and it is possible that he will no longer be a member of the PSD, if the formation decides to exclude him”, Adi Zăbăva concluded.
The mayor's decision comes against the background of his position against PSD leaving the government and his support for the reforms promoted by liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. Just a few days before, Constantin Toma publicly demanded the formation of a stable coalition PSD-PNL-UDMR-USR and requested the withdrawal of Sorin Grindeanu from the leadership of the party, arguing that Romania is going through a period marked by multiple challenges, from the war on the border to the economic effects generated by the tensions in the Middle East.
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Who is Constantin Toma?
An engineer by profession, Constantin Toma entered business immediately after the Revolution. It started with the sale of carts. Later he started making tractors, in collaboration with one of the biggest manufacturers in the world, Landini. However, he was not successful with tractors, but he struck a blow with water treatment equipment, Romet Buzău becoming the largest local producer and an important player at the international level. In 2007, the company patronized by Constantin Toma reported a turnover of almost 800 million lei, with 62 employees. In 2013, his name appeared in the 2013 Forbes list of the richest Romanians with an estimated fortune of 29 million euros.
After a mandate as PDSR senator (ed. – current PSD) in the 2000-2004 legislature, Constantin Toma returned to the forefront of public life in 2016, when he won the elections for Buzău City Hall, benefiting from the support of the party's local leadership, especially Ciolacu, who was already a central figure in PSD at the national level. He was re-elected to this position two more times, in 2020 and 2024.
His name appears in a report drawn up in 2022 by the Romanian Center for European Policies in which all the officials who met with the pro-Russian mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, declared in the meantime undesirable on Romanian territory, are mentioned. The latter had meetings over time, including with former prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, and in 2022 benefited from an aid of approximately 400,000 euros from CJ Buzău, led at the time by Petre Emanoil.
