Victor Ponta

Victor Ponta
Ponta in 2014
Prime Minister of Romania
In office 10 August 2015 – 5 November 2015
President	Klaus Iohannis
Deputy	Gabriel Oprea
Preceded by	Gabriel Oprea (Acting)
Succeeded by	Sorin Cîmpeanu (Acting)
In office 9 July 2015 – 29 July 2015
President	Klaus Iohannis
Deputy	Gabriel Oprea
Preceded by	Gabriel Oprea (Acting)
Succeeded by	Gabriel Oprea (Acting)
In office 7 May 2012 – 22 June 2015
President	Traian Băsescu Crin Antonescu (Acting) Traian Băsescu Klaus Iohannis
Deputy	Gabriel Oprea
Preceded by	Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Succeeded by	Gabriel Oprea (Acting)
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 17 December 2004 – 20 December 2020
Minister of Parliamentary Relations
In office 22 December 2008 – 1 October 2009
Prime Minister	Emil Boc
Preceded by	Mihai Voicu
Succeeded by	Sorina-Luminița Plăcintă (Acting)
President of PRO Romania
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 September 2017
President of the Social Democratic Party
In office 21 February 2010 – 12 July 2015×
Preceded by	Mircea Geoană
Succeeded by	Rovana Plumb (Acting)
President of the Social Democratic Youth
In office November 2002 – November 2006
Personal details
Born	Victor-Viorel Ponta (1972-09-20) 20 September 1972 (age 52) Bucharest, Romania
Citizenship	Romania Serbia[1]
Political party	Social Democratic Party (until 2017, 2024-present) European Democratic Party (2019–present)
Other political affiliations	PRO Romania (2017–2024) Social Liberal Union (2011–2014)
Spouse(s)	Roxana Ponta (before 2006) Daciana Sârbu (2006–present)
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Bucharest National Defence University
Signature
Website	victorponta.ro
×Ponta was on leave between 24 June and 9 July 2015, during which time Rovana Plumb served as acting leader.

Victor Viorel Ponta (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈviktor ˈponta]; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and its leader from 2010 to 2015, he was also joint leader (2012–2014) of the then-governing Social Liberal Union (USL), an alliance with the National Liberal Party (PNL). Ponta was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Gorj County from 2004 to 2020. In the Emil Boc cabinet, he was Minister-Delegate for Relations with Parliament from 2008 to 2009.

Ponta began his time as head of government with a victory for his alliance in local elections, as well as criticism from civil society after several prominent Băsescu-associated figures in government-funded culture and history institutes were removed or resigned from their posts. Eventually, a political crisis broke out with the replacement of the heads of each legislative chamber and an attempt to dismiss Băsescu – an effort that ultimately failed when the subsequent impeachment referendum was invalidated by the Constitutional Court due to low turnout. Meanwhile, Ponta was the subject of controversy due to allegations of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis. Seven months after gaining office, Ponta helped lead the USL to a decisive victory in parliamentary elections, prompting his appointment to a full four-year term as premier. A little over a year later, the USL fell apart and Ponta formed a new cabinet with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) as coalition partners.

A finalist in the November 2014 presidential election, Ponta lost to PNL candidate Klaus Iohannis. The following month, the UDMR quit government, prompting Ponta to form a fourth cabinet, with the Conservative Party (PC) and the Liberal Reformist Party (PLR) as junior partners. The cabinet was in office for slightly less than a year, resigning in the wake of the Colectiv nightclub fire.