Seven independent candidates registered for the European Parliament elections on June 9, including the MEP Vlad Gheorghe and the husband of Senator Diana Şoşoacă, but also the doctor and researcher Octavian Jurma, a militant of restrictive measures during the pandemic.
To represent the Romanians in the EP, candidates from different fields have registered. PHOTO: Pixabay
The period for submitting and registering candidacies for the elections for Romanian members in the European Parliament on June 9 ended on Wednesday, April 10.
According to the Central Electoral Bureau, seven independents submitted their candidacy for the elections for members from Romania in the European Parliament: Paul-Octavian Jurma; Paula-Marinela Pîrvănescu; Vlad-Dan Gheorghe; Ilie-Cătălin Mustătea; Nicolae-Bogdănel Ştefănuţă; Petru Mîndru and Dumitru-Silvestru Sosoacă.
Militant of the restrictive measures from the pandemic
Biostatistician Octavian Jurma from Timișoara, one of the most publicized characters in Romania during the coronavirus epidemic, a fierce campaigner of restrictive measures, had already announced in March that he had decided to run for the European Parliament elections, and on Tuesday, April 9, he submitted the related request at BEC, being registered.
“My goal is simple. To obtain the support of the European Union, in order to maintain Romanians' access to essential services in the following areas: health, education and safety”, Jurma sent.
Former secretary of state with false statements
The list is continued by Paula-Marinela Pîrvănescu, former state secretary in the Ministry for the Business Environment. In 2019, he entered into a plea agreement with DNA, after failing to disclose all salary income and the fact that he had debts for three years in his wealth declarations. Pîrvănescu was then fined 14,000 lei for false declarations in continuous form.
Pîrvănescu was also a referent in an MEP cabinet at the Chamber of Deputies, and is currently president of the RBC BUSINESS CHAMBER.
Left USR with scandal
Vlad Gheorghe, former USR MEP, announced his intention to run as an independent candidate following a scandal with the leaders of the formation, which led to his removal from the party. The former USR representative submitted his resignation from the party in February, accusing, alleging irregularities in the functioning of the party, after he was not allowed access to the meeting of the Political Committee of the Union, being suspended from the formation.
For its part, the political formation claimed that the reason why the MEP was suspended from the party is that he did not pay the dues.
The MEP launched a proposal regarding the verification of the assets of all candidates registered in the electoral race, in an interview with Epoch Times.
Representative of the Romanian community in Italy
Ilie-Cătălin Mustătea is a lesser-known candidate in Romania. Mustațea is president of PIR Italia (Romanian Identity Party) and is running as an independent to represent the Romanian Diaspora in the European Parliament.
Mustătea is a Siberian established in 2003 in Italy. As a representative of the Diaspora, in November 2015, he gave an interview to “Adevărul”, in which he spoke, among other things, about what could convince the Romanians who left the country to return home, stating that in the Executive you need people who know how to run a business.
The first Romanian representative of the EP in Washington
Nicolae-Bogdănel Ştefănuţă was elected MEP on the list of the USR-PLUS Alliance, following the election of May 26, 2019, being in 6th place. But in January 2023, he resigned from the USR, citing “reasons related to the current direction of the political formation”.
“Unfortunately, the direction that the leadership of this party has had for many years is one that I cannot vouch for”, said then the MEP, who also held the position of vice-president in the party.
Șetfănuță is a diplomat and represented the European Parliament in Washington, being the first Romanian to ensure the connection between the European forum and the American Congress.
Former opponent of Boc, with deceased supporters on the lists
Another submitted candidacy is that of Petru Mîndru, who was noticed in the public space after submitting his candidacy for Cluj City Hall in 2020, being supported by the Our Romania Party, founded by Gheorghe Funar.
The BEC then accused several problems regarding the signatures submitted by the candidate, including the presence of deceased persons on the lists. The candidacy was initially rejected by the BEC (Permanent Electoral Office), being later admitted by a final decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
Diana Sosoacă's husband, on the list of independents. He was recently sentenced definitively
The registration in the electoral race of Diana Șoșoacă's husband, Dumitru Silvestru Șoșoacă, presented one of the surprises on the lists of registered candidates.
The senator's husband was definitively sentenced on April 11 for insult, after assaulting a policeman in a scandal produced in 2021. The scandal occurred before an interview that the senator was supposed to give to journalists from the Italian station Rai Uno.
As a result, Silvestru Șoșoacă has to pay 18,000 lei to the Romanian state. Otherwise, the punishment will turn into one of imprisonment with execution.
Dumitru Silvestru Şoșoacă is also in full scandal with his wife, Senator Diana Șoșoacă, who accused him of physical and mental abuse. He also violated the restraining order which was later lifted.
The BEC will decide on the admission or rejection of the submitted candidacies, after completing all the stages, and the deadline for the final acceptance of the candidacies is April 29, 2024.
