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Viorica Dăncilă

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Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (Romanian pronunciation: [vasiˈlika vi.oˈrika dənˈtʃilə]; born 16 December 1963)[2] is a Romanian politician, former leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and was Prime Minister of Romania from 29 January 2018 to 4 November 2019.[3] She is the first woman in Romanian history to hold both the office of Prime Minister and that of president of the PSD. In 2014, she was elected to a second term as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), representing the PSD. She was also president of the Social Democratic Women's Organization (OFSD) between 2015 and 2018.

Viorica Dăncilă
Dăncilă in 2019
Prime Minister of Romania
In office
29 January 2018 – 4 November 2019
PresidentKlaus Iohannis
Preceded byMihai Tudose
Succeeded byLudovic Orban
President of the Social Democratic Party
In office
27 May 2019 – 26 November 2019
Preceded byLiviu Dragnea
Succeeded byMarcel Ciolacu
President of Nation People Together
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 April 2022
Member of the European Parliament
for Romania
In office
21 January 2009 – 28 January 2018
Succeeded byGabriela Zoană
Personal details
Born
Vasilica Viorica Nica

(1963-12-16) 16 December 1963 (age 60)
Roșiorii de Vede, Romania
Political partyRomanian National Conservative Party (2024—present)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Nation People Together (2022–2024)
Social Democratic Party (2001–2022)
Social Democracy Party of Romania (1996–2001)
SpouseCristinel Dăncilă
Children1
EducationPetroleum-Gas University
National University of Political Studies and Public Administration

Dăncilă became a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in 1996, as part of the party's organization in Teleorman County.[4] Over the years she has held several positions in both PSD and the local administration. She was a local council and a county councilor until 2009, when she was elected to her first term as an MEP. Also she occupied several leadership positions in the party, as president of the local organization, vice president of PSD Teleorman and president of OFSD Teleorman. In 2022, she resigned from the PSD to join the then-newly founded party Nation People Together, of which she became president.[5] She joined the Romanian National Conservative Party in September 2024.[6]

Before entering politics Dăncilă was an engineer with Petrom SA, and prior to that a teacher at Videle Industrial High School.

Biography

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Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (ex Vasilica Rodica Nica[7]) was born on 16 December 1963 in Roșiorii de Vede, Teleorman County. In 1988, she graduated from the Faculty of Drilling of Wells and Exploitation of Hydrocarbon Deposits of the Institute of Petroleum and Gas in Ploiești.[8] In 2006 Dăncilă obtained the master in European Public Space at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in Bucharest.[8]

Political career

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In the European Parliament

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In 2009, Viorica Dăncilă was elected on the lists of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) for her first term as a member of the European Parliament and then sat as a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group.[9] During the 5-year term, she did not draft any report as a rapporteur (primary legislator).

 
Viorica Dăncilă at the National Council of the Social Democratic Pensioners' Organization (December 2014)

In 2014, Viorica Dăncilă was elected for another term as MEP on the Social Democratic Party's list. She was also the leader of the Romanian Social Democrat delegation in the EP and a vice chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.[10] She was also a full member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality[11] and a substitute member of the Committee on Regional Development.

In 2015, she was shortlisted for the MEP Awards, in the Agriculture category.[12] Two years later, in 2017, she was again nominated, in two separate categories: Women's Rights & Gender Equality and Research & Innovation.

She officially left the European Parliament on 28 January 2018[13] to take up the position of prime minister in Romania.

In the Social Democratic Women's Organization

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In 2015, social democratic women proposed a Pact to the national political forces which aimed to protect women from domestic violence.[14] This was an initiative of Viorica Dăncilă, then the acting chairwoman of the organization, brought up at the OFSD Summer School in Mamaia, on 28–30 August.

In October 2015, she was elected President of the Social Democratic Women's Organization.[15] As President of OFSD, Viorica Dăncilă asked PSD leaders to ensure a quota of at least 30% female candidates on the lists of the Social Democratic Party during elections. The proposal was approved by the PSD leadership.

Prime Minister and aftermath

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Viorica Dăncilă meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in April 2018
 
Viorica Dăncilă meeting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in September 2018
 
Viorica Dăncilă in the European Parliament after the 2019 Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (July 2019)

On 17 January 2018, President of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea nominated Viorica Dăncilă as Romania's first female prime minister and the country's third head of government in a year.[16] Her predecessor, Mihai Tudose, resigned on 15 January after his own party withdrew its backing.[17] President Klaus Iohannis accepted PSD's nomination and appointed Dăncilă as prime minister-designate in a move harshly criticized by his supporters and main opposition parties.[18][19] Her cabinet received the vote of confidence from Parliament on 29 January.[20][21]

She was ousted as prime minister on 10 October 2019, following a vote of no confidence. She remained as a caretaker of the office until the formation of a new government.[22]

In March 2022, after an over 2-year brief break from politics, she announced her resignation from the PSD in order to become a member of a newly founded (at the time) party, called the Nation People Together (NOI),[23] of which she became president three month later.[5]

Dăncilă joined Cristian Terheș' Romanian National Conservative Party in September 2024.[24]

Controversies

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In February 2018, Dăncilă was in center of a discrimination scandal. She catalogued as "autistic" the MEPs who "misinform the EU" with regard to changes to the justice laws.[25] Soon after, the Association of Parents of Children with Autism claimed that the use of the term "autistic" with a profoundly negative meaning in a political dispute is an offense to those with this condition.[26] Moreover, the National Council for Combating Discrimination began the hearing procedures of Viorica Dăncilă for her perceived discriminatory comments.[27] She later apologized for the statement and said that through the comparison she did not want to insult people with autism spectrum disorders.[28]

She was also criticized for showing a lack of knowledge for proper grammar in Romanian,[29][30] a lack of verbal fluidity,[31] poor knowledge of terms[32] and subjects related to her tasks.[33] Mircea Dumitru [ro], rector of the University of Bucharest and former Minister of Education, characterized her language as "hard to understand" and "full of syntactic construction errors and logical inconsistencies."[34] After repeatedly avoiding meetings and phone conversations on domestic and international issues with President Klaus Iohannis, the latter asked her to resign, arguing that she "does not cope with the position of prime minister and turns the Government into a vulnerability of Romania."[35] Moreover, Iohannis accused Dăncilă of obeying "orders from the party" and announced that he withdrew his confidence in her.[36]

In July 2018, during a meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Duško Marković, she confused the capital of the country, Podgorica, with Pristina, the capital of Kosovo (which is not recognized as an independent nation by Romania).[37]

On 17 May 2018, Ludovic Orban, leader of the main opposition PNL party filed a criminal complaint against Dăncilă for high treason and usurping of official qualities about the transfer of the Romanian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem without the consent and approval of President Klaus Iohannis.[38] One month later, on 28 June 2018, DIICOT (the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism) announced that it had started the in rem investigation into the matter.[39] On 28 September 2018, DIICOT announced it concluded the investigation and closed the case on the basis of lack of evidence in support of the accusation, stating that the high treason never occurred.[40]

Personal life

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Viorica Dăncilă is married to Cristinel Dăncilă, manager at an oil company and former councillor in the Teleorman County Council.[41][42] She has an adopted son, Victor.[41]

Electoral history

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Presidential elections

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Election Affiliation First round Second round
Votes Percentage Position Votes Percentage Position
2019 PSD 2,051,725
22.3%
  2nd  3,339,922
33.91%
  2nd 

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vasilica-Viorica Dăncilă.
  1. ^ https://www.g4media.ro/viorica-dancila-fost-premier-si-presedinte-psd-se-alatura-partidului-condus-de-cristian-terhes-anunta-formatiunea.html
  2. ^ Negrea, Lucian (16 January 2018). "BIOGRAFIE - Cine este Viorica Dăncilă, miau miau premierul propus de PSD". stiripesurse.ro (in Romanian).
  3. ^ "Romanian Protests Put Ruling Party Under Renewed Pressure". Bloomberg.com. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  4. ^ "Portret: Cine este Viorica Dăncilă, premierul desemnat al României". Digi24 (in Romanian). 17 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Viorica Dăncilă a anunțat că nu primește pesediști în partidul ei: "În acest moment nu"". www.digi24.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  6. ^ https://www.g4media.ro/viorica-dancila-fost-premier-si-presedinte-psd-se-alatura-partidului-condus-de-cristian-terhes-anunta-formatiunea.html
  7. ^ Ionuț Stănescu, ed. (22 August 2018). "Curiosul caz al Rodicăi Nica, proasta satului, fata care a ajuns prim-ministrul României". RECORDER.RO (in Romanian).
  8. ^ a b Andreea Onogea, ed. (16 January 2018). "Viorica Dăncilă, propusă de PSD pentru funcția de premier (fișă biografică)". AGERPRES (in Romanian).
  9. ^ "History of parliamentary service". MEPs. European Parliament.
  10. ^ "Viorica DĂNCILĂ". MEPs. European Parliament.
  11. ^ "Members". FEMM. European Parliament.
  12. ^ "MEP Awards 2015: The Shortlist". The Parliament Magazine. 6 March 2015.
  13. ^ "8th parliamentary term". European Parliament.
  14. ^ Alina Costache (29 August 2015). "Viorica Dăncilă și OFSD propun un Pact pentru protejarea femeilor de violența domestică și viol". România TV (in Romanian).
  15. ^ Elisabeth Bouleanu (4 October 2015). "Viorica Dăncilă, aleasă președinte OFSD, la conferința femeilor social-democrate". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  16. ^ Luiza Ilie, Radu-Sorin Marinas (19 January 2018). "Viorica Dancila nominated as Romania's first female Prime Minister". The Independent.
  17. ^ "Romania to have first female prime minister, Viorica Dancila". BBC News. 17 January 2018.
  18. ^ Maria Stan, Sorin Andreiana (19 January 2018). "Președintele, izolat de decizia desemnării Vioricăi Dăncilă. Iohannis și-a dat jos geaca roșie la numirea celui de-al treilea premier PSD". Evenimentul zilei (in Romanian).
  19. ^ "USR critică decizia lui Iohannis: A ratat șansa de a limita dezastrul produs de PSD". Digi24 (in Romanian). 17 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Romanian Protests Put Ruling Party Under Renewed Pressure". Bloomberg. 22 January 2018.
  21. ^ "Romania: Viorica Dancila voted in as first female prime minister". Deutsche Welle. 29 January 2018.
  22. ^ "Romania government collapses after no-confidence vote". DW. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  23. ^ "Viorica Dăncilă a demisionat din PSD după 26 de ani: "De astăzi sunt membru al unei formațiuni politice noi"". www.antena3.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  24. ^ https://www.g4media.ro/viorica-dancila-fost-premier-si-presedinte-psd-se-alatura-partidului-condus-de-cristian-terhes-anunta-formatiunea.html
  25. ^ "VIDEO / Viorica Dăncilă și-a cerut scuze public, în urma afirmației jignitoare pentru persoanele cu autism". Libertatea (in Romanian). 16 February 2018.
  26. ^ "Scrisoare de protest a asociației "Autism România", după o declarație a premierului Dăncilă. CNCD, sesizat". Digi24 (in Romanian). 16 February 2018.
  27. ^ Sorin Ghica (18 February 2018). "Viorica Dăncilă se află în centrul unui scandal de discriminare: de ce afirmația privind "autiștii" aduce grave prejudicii în societate". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  28. ^ "Viorica Dăncilă își cere scuze pentru declarația privind "autiștii"". Digi24 (in Romanian). 16 February 2018.
  29. ^ "Un colaj VIDEO cu gafele premierului Viorica Dăncilă a ajuns viral pe Facebook". Știrile Pro TV (in Romanian). 5 April 2018.
  30. ^ "Viorica Dăncilă a găsit un nou mod de a pronunța "EURO 2020"". Știrile Pro TV (in Romanian). 12 April 2018.
  31. ^ Radu Eremia (3 April 2018). "Dăncilă, serie de gafe în plen: Programul de guvernare, vă spun sincer, nu a făcut bine României". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  32. ^ "Premierul Dăncilă, probleme cu un cuvânt: A spus de șase ori "imunoglobină" în loc de "imunoglobulină"". Digi24 (in Romanian). 7 March 2018.
  33. ^ "Cum a crescut Dăncilă pensiile de 10 ori, din greșeală". Digi24 (in Romanian). 26 February 2018.
  34. ^ "Limbaj precar, greu de înțeles, plin de greșeli și inconsecvențe logice. Rectorul Universității București dă notă mică premierului Dăncilă". Gândul (in Romanian). 20 May 2018.
  35. ^ Radu Eremia (27 April 2018). "Război între palate. Iohannis cere demisia Vioricăi Dăncilă: Nu face față poziției de premier și transformă Guvernul într-o vulnerabilitate". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  36. ^ "Conflict între Președinție și Guvern. Klaus Iohannis îi solicită demisia premierului Dăncilă". Știrile Pro TV (in Romanian). 27 April 2018.
  37. ^ Insider, Romania (26 July 2018). "Romanian PM confuses Montenegro's capital with that of Kosovo - Romania Insider". Romania Insider. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  38. ^ "Ludovic Orban a depus plângere penală împotriva Vioricăi Dăncilă pentru înaltă trădare". Știrile Pro TV (in Romanian). 17 May 2018.
  39. ^ "DIICOT a început urmărirea penală in rem, după sesizarea făcută de Orban împotriva Vioricăi Dăncilă". Știrile Pro TV. (in Romanian). 28 June 2018.
  40. ^ "Dosarul de înaltă trădare al premierului Viorica Dăncilă, CLASAT". Mediafax.ro. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  41. ^ a b "Cum arată soțul premierului desemnat. Cristinel Dăncilă e manager la o companie petrolieră". Libertatea (in Romanian). 19 January 2018.
  42. ^ M. Z. (19 January 2018). "Cum arată soțul premierului Viorica Dăncilă și cu ce se ocupă acesta - GALERIE FOTO". Antena 3 (in Romanian).
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Romania
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by President of the Social Democratic Party
2019 		Succeeded by
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