Romania’s anti-Semitism czar on Friday said he would run for the post of chairman of a local branch of the ruling Liberal Party.
Environment Minister Costel Alexe stepped down as chairman of the Iasi branch of the National Liberal Party at the end of April amid a corruption probe.
Lawmaker
Mr Muraru, 39, a Liberal Party lawmaker, became acting chairman on May 23 after Mr Alexe quit following the fallout from the bribe allegations against him. He denies wrongdoing.
On Friday, the adviser to Prime Minister Florin Citu on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust said he would run for the post of chairman.
“This isn’t a spur of the moment decision. It is a new political project which I’m committed to for the next few years” he said, News.ro reported.
The regional offices of Romania’s political parties wield a reasonable amount of power. They can influence administrative and political appointments. They are also considered springboards for ambitious politicians seeking positions in high office.
Dialogue
“I see the future of the Iasi Liberal Party as a team effort…focused on political performance, communication and especially improving the dialogue with people, business, civil society, the media, universities in a direct and pro-active way,” he said.
The election will he held on July 3.
Mr Muraru is one of the new generation of politicians who were children when communism ended, who’ve been appointed to senior positions in recent years.
Reformist wing
A historian, he is seen as a member of the reformist, pro-European wing of the party, not the older, more conservative faction.
His twin brother Andrei Muraru is Romania’s ambassador to the United States.
Mr Alexe, the former environment minister is suspected of bribery in exchange for handing out carbon credits to a factory. He was minister from November 2019 to November 2020.
Embarrassment
The case was an embarrassment for the Liberal Party which heads the center-right ruling coalition which came to power after December parliamentary elections promising to crack down on corruption.
Alluding to his predecessor, Mr. Muraru said: “We have a very clear mission…. I am committed to “rebuilding trust, integrity in public office, improving the mechanisms of decision-making in democracy” among other things.
Transparent
He said he would run the party branch in a “transparent and open” way. he said he would make it accessible to the academic and economic elite, civil society and various specialists.
“Iasi needs their expertise” he said. “The door is open for those that want to contribute to the good of the community”.
The Iasi branch of the Liberal Party has more than 12,000 members. The party has 20 mayors in the county.
Digitalizing the party, making it less bureaucratic and updated internal communication were other priorities.
