28 Facts About Marcel Ciolacu

Marcel Ciolacu is the leader of the Social Democratic Party since 2019.

Marcel Ciolacu led the party to victory in the 2020 Romanian legislative election but was not able to form a majority coalition in the new legislative.

Marcel Ciolacu's premiership was described by opposition figures as illiberal, or authoritarian, being accused of limiting press freedom.

On 25 November 2024, following his defeat in the first round of that year's presidential election, Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation as leader of the Social Democratic Party but he ultimately did not resign as he was given a vote of confidence to maintain party leadership.

Marcel Ciolacu was born in Buzau as the son of Ion Ciolacu, a career military pilot of Aromanian ancestry.

Marcel Ciolacu participated in the 1989 Romanian Revolution in Buzau, but a recent investigation by independent news organisation Recorder has put these claims under scrutiny, having revealed a series of inconsistencies in his account and the lack of supporting evidence for his participation in the 1989 Romanian Revolution.

Marcel Ciolacu became a member of the National Salvation Front in 1990.

Marcel Ciolacu entered national politics in 2012, when he was first elected for a deputy seat in Parliament.

Marcel Ciolacu ran against Senator Vasile Ion, who eventually withdrew from the race, accusing Ciolacu of rigging the internal elections.

In 2017, Marcel Ciolacu was named deputy prime minister in the cabinet led by Mihai Tudose.

Marcel Ciolacu handed in his own resignation from the government shortly thereafter.

Marcel Ciolacu emerged once more in the public eye, seeking a path to top party leadership.

Marcel Ciolacu accepted her offer to sponsor him as president of the Chamber of Deputies, succeeding Dragnea himself.

On 29 May 2019, Marcel Ciolacu was voted the new head of the Chamber.

In October 2019, a motion of no confidence was initiated by the PNL-led opposition that successfully removed Dancila from power, even though Marcel Ciolacu maintained that the Dancila Cabinet would not fall.

Marcel Ciolacu supported Viorica Dancila's bid to the presidency of Romania but after her defeat and her historically weak result, Ciolacu went on to take control of the party.

On 25 November 2019, one day after the presidential election, Marcel Ciolacu personally visited Dancila at her home, event at which has been speculated in the Press Marcel Ciolacu asked her to resign from the party's leadership, offering her an MP seat in the next legislative election but which has been denied by Ciolacu, Paul Stanescu and Dancila herself.

Marcel Ciolacu was expected to run for a full term as leader of PSD at its Congress on 29 February 2020, but the Congress was postponed to 21 March due to the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic in Romania.

Marcel Ciolacu assumed the office of Prime Minister of Romania on 15 June, in accordance with an informal rotational government agreement with the National Liberal Party in 2023.

On 2 September 2024 the Marcel Ciolacu cabinet approved a legislative proposal to transfer one of Romania's air defence systems to Ukraine following a series of aerial attacks by Russian forces.

Marcel Ciolacu was criticised for his usage of private jets during his campaign.

Marcel Ciolacu was accused of conflict of interest causing damages to the municipality by inflating the Mecan contract by approximately 1.3 million euros.

Marcel Ciolacu stated that the ruling of the Buzau Court of Accounts was challenged in court.

Marcel Ciolacu stated that a criminal investigation file at the National Anticorruption Directorate Ploiesti, in which the allegations regarding the contract with Mecan Construct were investigated, concluded without starting criminal proceedings against him.

Marcel Ciolacu was involved in a media scandal in May 2015 after a 20-year-old photograph of him with Omar Hayssam appeared in the press.

Marcel Ciolacu opposes same-sex marriage, civil partnerships and social progressivism.

Marcel Ciolacu married his wife, Roxana, a chemical engineer, in the 1990s, They have one son, Filip,.

Former PSD Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici declared for the Romanian press in February 2024 that Docuz and Marcel Ciolacu have a child.