The leader of SOS Romania, member of the European Parliament, Diana Șoșoacă, who stood out for a scandal that led to her expulsion from the plenary, is running for this year’s presidential elections supported by the formation she leads.
Diana Șoșoacă, SOS Romania candidate in the presidential elections Photo: Archive
Elected on the SOS Romania lists for the European Parliament in the elections of June 9, after passing the electoral threshold, Diana Iovanovici-Şoșoacă became an MEP.
Arriving in Strasbourg, after the party she leads was not accepted in the new far-right group in the European Parliament, established by the German far-right party “Alternative for Germany”, Diana Șoșoacă presented herself, on Tuesday, at the constitution meeting of to the new European Parliament, dressed in folk costume, and claimed that she would also bring there the moments she became known for in Bucharest: a priest to consecrate the offices “full of satans”, icons and threats of lawsuits.
Asked by the special envoy of the “Adevărul” newspaper in Strasbourg if she will also take the “Diana Șoșoacă brand” moments from the Romanian Parliament to the European Parliament, she answered: “Everything I will bring will be within the limits of the regulation, because I am a man of the law”.
In the context in which the regulation of the European Parliament is stricter than the one in the country, Sosoacă said: “Beware that human rights are violated here and I thought of suing them. I also told those in the management of the European Parliament”.
On Wednesday, during her first speech in the plenary session of the European Parliament, Diana Șoșoacă stood out by stating that in February 2022 she made an international Memorandum for peace to which only the Russian Federation would have responded, and after launching several messages in which she accused Europe of “destroying Romania” and impoverishing the Romanians “by helping the Ukrainians non-stop”, his microphone was cut off, being warned by the president Roberta Metsola before he finished his speech, which exceeded one minute, to give the floor to the other speakers.
On Thursday, however, he made a new scandal, using an icon, a muzzle and a black bag. Sosoacă interrupted, on multiple occasions, the debate regarding the election of Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission, which ultimately led to his expulsion from the room.
“This is the dead man’s bag. It’s my property. You killed people in the pandemic. It’s my bag. Do not touch me. Freedom of expression. Message from Romania: Take your hands off Romania, shame on you, you killed people”, Diana Sosoacă shouted in English.
The scandal could bring a series of sanctions to Diana Sosoacă, but she claimed, on Friday, in an open letter addressed to the European Parliament, that in fact an “injustice” was committed by evicting her.
controversies
Diana Șoșoacă, who announced her candidacy for this year’s presidential elections, supported by SOS Romania, has been noticed since her entry into politics, in 2020, as a senator from Iasi on the AUR lists, through nationalist speeches and criticism of the measures taken by the authorities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, but he began to gain notoriety with the speeches held at pilgrimages in Iasi and Constanța, after the authorities imposed restrictions. After IPS Teodosie, the Archbishop of Tomis, sued the authorities in Constanta to lift the restrictions, Diana Şoşoacă, a lawyer by profession, represented the high church hierarch in court, but without success.
Later, becoming a senator in December 2020, from the AUR, she would be at the center of several scandals, among the most controversial being those on the subject of the pandemic.
Diana Șoșoacă, who came to the plenary session of the parliament without a mask, imposed due to the restrictions of COVID-19, called for gestures similar to those on Thursday, from the plenary session of the European Parliament, respectively in June 2021 when she watched the then prime minister, Florin Cîţu, with a body bag, and in December he put on a muzzle. “I asked Saint Nicholas to give me a gift for the anniversary of the Constitution of Romania. That left me. It is a muzzle through which the Constitution, the fundamental rights were annulled by the Parliament and the president. Long live free Romania! Down the muzzle!“, shouted Sosoacă.
She was also noted for a series of disputes and scandals, including with members of the AUR, which led to her exclusion from the party and, finally, to the request for recall from Parliament.
Last but not least, Diana Șoșoacă also stood out for her pro-Russian attitude, demonstrated by visits to the Russian Embassy, through anti-Ukrainian and anti-EU speeches, even getting to be promoted by pro-Kremlin media institutions.
CV and parliamentary activity
As for Diana Șoșoacă’s CV, it does not appear on the European Parliament page, nor is the Biography section in the Senate completed with her data regarding her professional experience, politics, education and training, skills, etc.
And regarding the summary of her parliamentary activity, Diana Șoșoacă had: legislative initiatives in which she participated – (29 of which 1 promulgated law – Legislative proposal for declaring the peony flower as the National Flower of Romania); political statements (103, the last one entitled – “Stay silent, Parliament of Romania!”); questions (147, the last one regarding the transfer of the Patriot system to Ukraine); interpellations (26): interpellations addressed to the Prime Minister (72); speeches in plenary (1706 in 547 meetings) Motions (0) and votes (electronic) – (2242 of 2539)
Diana Sosoacă’s fortune
The leader of SOS Romania, Diana Șoșoacă, a candidate for the presidential elections, owns, according to the last declaration of wealth, from April 2024, two urban plots in Căciulata, Vâlcea, of 1375.47 square meters (in total), one in Vulcana de Sus, Dâmbovița , of 2170 square meters, an agricultural land in Balotești, Ilfov, of 22,500 square meters (received by donation), two apartments in Bucharest, of 89 and 58 square meters, bought, and a holiday house of 30 square meters in Vulcana de Sus, Dâmbovița, also bought.
Diana Șoșoacă also has two cars, an Opel Corsa manufactured in 2015 and a Skoda Octavia from 2018, as well as art objects worth 5,000 euros.
The candidate SOS Romania in the presidential elections has two loans to individuals, of 3,000 euros, due in 2024, and of 13,500 euros, due in 2030. And in the (annual) income section, she has indicated the salary of a senator, of 130,515 lei and husband’s salary, 23,319 lei.
