Dr. Sorin Oprescu | |
|---|---|
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| General Mayor of Bucharest | |
| In office 19 June 2008 – 15 September 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Adriean Videanu |
| Succeeded by | Marin Ștefănel Dan(interim) |
| Member of theSenate of Romania | |
| In office 11 December 2000 – 23 June 2008 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1951-11-07)7 November 1951 (age 73) Bucharest, Romania |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | PSD (1990–2008) |
| Awards | Legion of Honour |
Sorin Mircea Oprescu (Romanian pronunciation:[soˈrinoˈpresku]; born 7 November 1951) is a Romanianindependent politician andmedical doctor who previously served asMayor of Bucharest between 2008 and 2015.
Oprescu first ran for Mayor of Bucharest in 1998 backed by theParty of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), the precursor to the modern-daySocial Democratic Party (PSD). He was eliminated in the first round with 19.3% of the vote, losing to incumbentViorel Lis who was supported by theChristian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚ-CD).[1] He ran again in 2000, achieving the highest first-round total (40.1%)[2] but losing in the second round with 49.3% to winnerTraian Băsescu's 50.7%.[3]
He was one of the independent candidates running forPresident of Romania in thepresidential election which took place on 22 November 2009. He was eliminated in the first round, gaining only 3.2% of the total cast votes and thereby placing on the 5th position, and was involved in a notableCondorcet cycle withMircea Geoană and eventual winnerTraian Băsescu.[citation needed]
He was also a senator representing theSocial Democratic Party (PSD) between 2000 and April 2008, serving as the vice-president of the Senate Committee for Public Health. Oprescu resigned from the Senate on 24 June 2008.[4]
In February 2006, Oprescu also became the president of the Social Democratic Party's Bucharest branch, a position from which he stepped down upon quitting the party in April 2008.
In 2008, after the Social Democratic Party (PSD) refused to nominate him to the mayoral elections, he ran as anindependent candidate. He earned the most votes in the first round of the elections. In the second round against theDemocratic Liberal Party (PDL) candidateVasile Blaga, with the support of the National Liberals and Social Democrats (who announced they would support anyone who ran against the Democratic Liberals), he won with 56.6% of the vote.[5] Nevertheless, the Social-Democrat mayor of Bucharest's Sector 2, Neculai Onţanu, announced he supported Blaga,[6] while the Social Democratic mayor ofSector 5,Marian Vanghelie, announced he would not support Oprescu and even accused him of being a "cheap demagogue".[7]
In September 2015, he was arrested on charges of corruption.[8] On 15 September 2015, being deposed by Bucharest's Prefect upon a courts' decision to maintain Oprescu's arrest, an interim successor was elected from one of the city's deputy-mayors.[9]
| Election | Affiliation | First round | Second round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percentage | Position | Votes | Percentage | Position | ||
| 1998 | PDSR | 111,759 | 19.3% | 2nd | – | ||
| 2000 | PDSR | 260,689 | 41.16% | 1st | 353,038 | 49.31% | 2nd |
| 2008 | Independent | 164,219 | 30.12% | 1st | 315,981 | 56.31% | 1st |
| 2012 | Independent (supported byUSL) | 430,512 | 54.79% | 1st | |||
| Election | Affiliation | First round | Second round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percentage | Position | Votes | Percentage | Position | ||
| 2009 | Independent | 309,764 | 3.18% | 6th | not qualified | ||