Senator Emanuel Gabriel Botnariu (photo) has resigned from the Social Democrat Party, announcing on Wednesday that he will be independent.
„I want to announce you that I am an independent, not-attached member of the Senate as of today”, Emanuel Botnariu told the plenary sitting of the upper chamber of the Parliament.
Emanuel Botnariu is elected in the constituency no 25 Ilfov in the general elections of 2016. The group of the PSD senators consisted in 71 MPs. Practically, after Adrian Tutuianu had been also ousted from PSD, the ruling party remains with 69 senators, namely to the edge to adopt major laws.
Emanuel Botnariu has been appointed as general manager of the Hospital Administration in Bucharest by mayor Gabriela Firea, being acting director until a contest is held to occupy this position.
Botnariu is a doctor by profession and has been known as the adviser of Florentin Pandele, mayor of Voluntari and Firea’s husband.
Botnariu was also manager of the „St. Parascheva” Medical Society in Voluntari and PSD councilman in the Ilfov County Council, but also vice-president of PSD Ilfov.
On the other hand, Digi24 reported that other two Social Democrat deputies are resigning from the party: Alexandra-Corina Bogaciu and Constantin Cătălin Zamfira, both close to Bucharest mayor, Gabriela Firea and both having run for Parliament on the list of PSD Ilfov branch.
Mass media reported that 29-year old Alexandra Corina Bogaciu would be the niece of Florentin Pandele, Firea’s husband.
“We resorted to this action as an ultimate move in protest at the autocratic way the party has been lately run, all those who don’t agree the current chairman’s decisions being exposed to mass media lynching and ousted. The vindictive attitude of chairman Dragnea is following the same logic, he has launched information that Mrs Gabriela Firea, unanimously elected to run the PSD Ilfov branch, is to be replaced from the helm of the Bucharest and Ilfov organisations and after that to be expelled from the party, for the mere fact that she dared set off the alarm bells regarding the fact the party is moving away more and more from the citizen’s real agenda. Moreover, chairman Dragnea has kicked off an ample campaign to intimidate district mayors and general councilmen, aiming Gabriela Firea’s political isolation in order to make her unable to efficiently exercise her mandate as mayor,” reads a press release signed by the three resigning members.