The president of the Senate, Ilie Bolojan, is first in line to take over the position of interim president, according to the Constitution.

Bolojan has been the head of the National Liberal Party (PNL) since last year's, annulled, presidential elections. He took over the position of PNL president from Nicolae Ciucă, who resigned after gathering only 8.79% of the votes as a presidential candidate.

Prior to becoming PNL president and taking on a more prominent role in national politics, he was known as a reform-minded figure in the local administration, having served as mayor of Oradea, in western Romania, from 2008 to 2020, and as president of Bihor County Council since 2020.

His mandate as mayor of Oradea is associated with a program of administrative and economic reforms, infrastructure modernization, and rehabilitation of the city's historic center, backed by EU funds. As president of Bihor County Council, his projects have included upgrades to Oradea Airport, the development of the county's road infrastructure, and projects in healthcare and education.

As president of the Senate, he recently announced a staff restructuring project to reduce public spending. He was booed by Parliament employees, who threatened to take him to court.

He studied mechanics at the Traian Vuia Polytechnic Institute in Timișoara (1988-1993) and mathematics at the University of Timișoara (1990-1993). His training in public administration includes specializations at ENA (École Nationale d'Administration) in France (2005) and advanced training programs at the National Institute of Administration in Bucharest (2005-2006), with an emphasis on the administrative decentralization process and the training of prefectural functions.

If the president of the Senate cannot take over as interim president, the position would be filled by the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)

simona@romania-insider.com