Victor Ponta

He was Prime Minister from 2012 to 2015, led the Social Democratic Party (PSD) from 2010 to 2015 and founded PRO Romania in 2017. He sits in the Chamber of Deputies for Dâmbovița and is listed as independent since 2025. In June 2026 the parliamentary group Unite for Romania said it would propose him for Prime Minister at consultations at Cotroceni, and he said he would not refuse the post if asked.

Career

Wikipedia says Ponta graduated in law from the University of Bucharest in 1995 and worked as a prosecutor from 1995 to 2001. He was a Secretary of State from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy for Gorj from 2004 to 2020. He served as minister delegate for relations with Parliament in 2008-2009 and led PSD from 2010 to 2015. He was Prime Minister from 2012 to 2015. He took 40.4% in the 2014 presidential first round and lost the runoff to Klaus Iohannis. He founded PRO Romania in 2017, rejoined PSD in 2024 and left it months later. As an independent in 2025 he took 13.04% and fourth place.

Positions

Wikipedia says his 2025 campaign emphasised nationalism. In August 2026 Ziarul Profit quoted him saying President Dan should have named either an experienced person such as himself, Sorin Grindeanu or George Simion as prime minister after the no-confidence vote.

Controversies

Prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) charged Ponta in 2015 over his work as a lawyer, alleging forgery, complicity in tax evasion and money laundering. They alleged he received sums for services not performed between 2007 and 2008. He was acquitted at first instance in May 2018. Europa Liberă reported that the High Court of Cassation and Justice acquitted him definitively on 29 December 2023. He said the case was meant to remove him from office.

Summarised automatically from the linked sources. Wikipedia · Europa Liberă România · BZI · Ziarul Profit

Photo: Gândul, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons (cropped)