Mayor elected president of Romania’s reformist USR party

Elena Lasconi, mayor of Câmpulung-Muscel, was elected president of the opposition party USR by its members in a vote that took place over two days. She received 7,701 votes, or 68.14% of the total votes cast.

In her first speech as president, she said that the reconstruction of the party is now underway. She also argued that democracy in Romania is at stake.

Lasconi’s election as party president coincided with Romania’s Flag Day.

"I am proud to be Romanian and I celebrate the Romanian flag through deeds every day. And I would be happy if in this country we could all wave it together, in University Square, in Iași, Constanța, Satu Mare, in Romania beyond the borders of the country, and rejoice together at the victory of the national football team," Elena Lasconi said, cited by News.ro.

According to the new USR president, "the concentration of power in the hands of outdated parties that only pretend to consult the population, the Romanians, every four years, has brought only contempt and theft from the pockets of those who work and are in good faith to the Romanians. This has led to the weakening of the state."

A popular mayor, voted by around 60% of residents of Câmpulung in the recent local elections, Elena Lasconi has been a critic of the previous leadership of USR. The party got only 8.7% of votes in the European elections and had a similarly poor result in the local elections, prompting the former leadership to resign.

Elena Lasconi also said that she would submit her candidacy for the presidency of Romania in time to be confirmed by the USR Congress.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)