Ilie Bolojan officially announced that Crin Antonescu will be the coalition’s candidate for the presidential elections in Romania.
PSD, PNL, UDMR, and the group of national minorities have agreed to have a common candidate for the Presidency in the person of Crin Antonescu, and this decision is included in the coalition protocol that was signed on Monday morning at the Parliament.
This decision will be soon voted in the leadership bodies of each party, Bolojan stated.
"PNL has signed this coalition protocol so that our country can have a stable government in a difficult period, in such a way that we can take measures to keep budgetary expenses within normal limits, to carry out reforms, and to create conditions for development in our country. One of the provisions of this protocol is the designation of a single candidate for the position of President of Romania. We have agreed by consensus that this candidate will be Mr. Crin Antonescu, with each political party to designate the candidate and approve this candidacy within their internal structures," stated the PNL leader.
Crin Antonescu confirmed yesterday the discussion about his candidacy for the Presidency.
"But it's a complex discussion, assuming also the formation of the government, as a priority. We have agreed to communicate each one's communication at the end of these discussions," said Crin Antonescu to Radio Free Europe.
Crin Antonescu's name as a possible common candidate was mentioned for the first time on December 10 by Kelemen Hunor. He also said today that he hopes to have presidential elections as soon as possible, preferably before Easter (April 20, 2025).
Who is Crin Antonescu
Crin Antonescu entered politics immediately after the revolution (1989) in the PNL.
From 1992 to 2004, he was a PNL deputy. For three years (1997-2000), he was the Minister of Youth and Sports.
In 2008, he became a PNL senator, and a year later, he took over the leadership of the party, a position he held until 2014.
Crin Antonescu was one of the architects of the USL, the collaboration between PSD and PNL from 2012 to 2014.
Crin Antonescu served as the interim President of Romania in the summer of 2012, between the suspension of Traian Băsescu and his return to office following the invalidation of the impeachment referendum.
Crin Antonescu was supposed to be the USL's presidential candidate, while Victor Ponta was supposed to be the Prime Minister. However, the Social Democrats changed their minds, leaving Crin Antonescu offside.
After the failure, Crin Antonescu lost the leadership of the PNL to Klaus Iohannis and withdrew from public life for ten years.
At the core, Crin Antonescu is a history teacher. He taught in education only from 1985 to 1989, in Tulcea and Vaslui. He also briefly worked as a museum curator.
He is married to Adina Vălean, former European Commissioner for Transport, and current PNL Member of the European Parliament.
In his wife's latest asset declaration, from July 2024, Crin Antonescu does not appear with any income. Adina Vălean declared over 280,000 euros received from the European Commission for the year 2023.