Elena Lasconi won the internal elections in USR for the position of party president. The mayor of Câmpulung won in the first round with over 68%.
Elena Lasconi stated, „It may not be a coincidence that I won the elections today, on Flag Day.”
"Today marks the beginning of the reconstruction of USR, and we will work more united and determined than ever, because the loss of democracy in Romania is at stake. I am proud to be Romanian, and I celebrate the flag of Romania through actions every day.
"And I would be happy for all of us to wave it in University Square, in Iași, Constanța, in Satu Mare, in Romania beyond the country's borders, and to celebrate together the victory of the national football team," said Elena Lasconi.
"I will submit my candidacy for the presidency of Romania"
Elena Lasconi also announced that she will submit her candidacy for the presidency of Romania. She specified that she must do so by Thursday at the latest because on June 29, they will have a congress, and democracy operates within USR.
"I will submit my candidacy, because, as you know, on the 29th, Saturday, we will have a congress, and democracy operates within USR, and probably we will have more candidates who will want to become the USR candidate for the highest office in the state, and I will submit this candidacy. I must do it by tomorrow at the latest," said Lasconi.
Elena Lasconi emphasized that in her opinion, it is out of the question for her to support anyone else in the presidential elections, stating that she is open to dialogue with everyone who claims to be right-wing or center-right.
Regarding cooperation with PNL and a possible support for Nicolae Ciucă in the presidential elections, the new president of USR said: "I don't think my colleagues will ever vote for that in their lives, from what I know about them and feel the spirit of this party."
The vote took place on Monday and Tuesday. The president of USR was elected by the vote of each member of the party on an online platform, after Cătălin Drulă resigned following the disastrous results of the elections on June 9.
What's next:
- After the election of the USR president, the new National Bureau of USR will be established by the vote of the delegates at the Congress.
- The 24 new members of the new National Bureau will be elected in the party's congress, convened for June 29.
Before the start of the vote, two of the candidates (Vasile Dincă and Luiza Oancea) announced that they were withdrawing their candidacies.
The final list of candidates for USR president was:
1. Elena Lasconi – 52 years old, Câmpulung, Argeș.
- Elena Lasconi is a professional economist with a 25-year career in television.
- Since 2020, she has been the USR mayor of Câmpulung Muscel, a position in which she was re-elected in 2024.
- In her first term, she initiated projects worth over 400 million lei – the city's budget for 40 years.
- She obtained over 100 million lei from PNRR for development projects in Câmpulung.
- She completed the construction of a new oncology department at the Municipal Hospital and submitted a major infrastructure project to obtain European funds for a 40 km extension of the water and sewerage network, almost half of what has been done in 70 years.
- Elena Lasconi is active in the USR Câmpulung branch, having been a member since 2019.
- Elena Lasconi, about marriage, gay rights, and plans for Cotroceni
2. Cristian Seidler – 43 years old, Sector 5, Bucharest.
- Cristian Seidler is a deputy from Bucharest and vice president of the Labor and Social Protection Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.
- In his first term as a deputy, he initiated the law to repeal the special pensions of parliamentarians and obtained, through the law, the publication twice a year of all salary incomes of state employees.
- Before becoming a parliamentarian, he took courses in human resources and had a career of over 10 years in this field.
- He graduated from the Faculty of Legal Sciences in Oradea (2003)
- He was the leader of law students in ELSA Romania.
- Cristian Seidler is active in the USR Sector 5 branch, having been a member since 2016.
3. Radu Hossu – 38 years old, Brașov.
- Radu Hossu has over 10 years of experience in commercial marketing and eight years in communication and political consultancy.
- He has been actively involved in supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the war triggered by Russia, through reports from the front and aid for Ukrainian civilians and military personnel.
- For his involvement, he was decorated by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the Ukrainian Army.
- He was the president of the Pro Democracy Association Brașov and was also involved in organizing protests in Brașov in the cases of the Colectiv tragedy and Emergency Ordinance 13.
- Radu Hossu is active in the USR Brașov branch, having been a member since 2020.
4. Vasile Gabriel Filip – 46 years old, Constanța.
- Vasile Gabriel Filip is a certified IT expert.
- He has held various positions in this field, from executive positions to director, and has also worked as an entrepreneur.
- He has had projects in several counties in the country, as well as in the Republic of Moldova and abroad.
- He is a graduate of the "Mircea cel Bătrân" Naval Academy in Constanța, being an engineer in Naval Electromechanics.
- Vasile Gabriel Filip is active in the USR Constanța branch, having been a member since 2019.