Prime minister Ilie Bolojan has proposed Oana Gheorghiu, co-founder of the Dăruiește Viață Association, for the position of deputy prime minister, according to a government statement released on Tuesday, October 28. The nomination has been formally submitted to president Nicușor Dan for approval.
Oana Gheorghiu is best known for co-founding Dăruiește Viață, a non-profit that built a hospital for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. The donation-funded project, located on the grounds of Bucharest’s Marie Curie Hospital, spans 12,000 square meters across nine floors and includes more than 140 beds.
Overall, over the past decade, Gheorghiu has coordinated the fundraising of more than EUR 100 million in private donations and sponsorships, involving over 500,000 individual donors and 10,000 companies, the government noted in the statement. Her work with Dăruiește Viață has been widely credited with reshaping public perceptions of state responsibility in healthcare.
She is an economics graduate of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, class of 1994, specializing in economic management.
Ilie Bolojan, leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), thanked Gheorghiu “for her willingness to contribute to the essential reforms Romania needs at this time.”
The prime minister’s office also described her appointment as part of a broader effort to “mobilize all available energy to build a state that functions more effectively for its citizens.”
However, the nomination has sparked political tensions within the governing coalition. Sorin Grindeanu, president of the ruling coalition partner Social Democratic Party (PSD), called on Ilie Bolojan to withdraw the proposal, warning that it could “compromise Romania’s relationship with the United States” and lead to a “diplomatic disaster.”
In a post on social media, Grindeanu criticized what he described as “anti-American voices” within the government, suggesting that Oana Gheorghiu’s appointment could undermine Romania’s credibility with its transatlantic ally.
“In a government already full of anti-American voices and critics of the Trump administration, how do such appointments help or lend credibility to Romania’s efforts on key issues with our transatlantic ally? I remind you of the Visa Waiver – a step eagerly awaited by all Romanians!” Grindeanu said.
He urged Ilie Bolojan to “rethink this institutional step” and consult PSD before making such high-level decisions.
In February, following the Oval Office dispute between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, US president Donald Trump, and vice president J.D. Vance, Oana Gheorghiu made a series of critical posts on social media directed at the American leaders.
“Narcissism, madness, and imposture are destroying the world. To bow before a criminal dictator and trample on a man already in the most vulnerable situation – that means being a miserable character. A miserable character who has come to lead a country that was once great. It’s incredible what Volodymyr Zelensky is going through, it’s incredible how two thugs, now in the White House, are treating a human being,” Gheorghiu wrote in one of her posts, as reported by News.ro.
According to Digi24, over time, she also made critical posts about the Social Democratic Party PSD and its leader.
If official appointed as deputy PM, Oana Gheorghiu will replace Dragoș Anastasiu, who resigned at the end of July after it was revealed that he was a witness in an older corruption case involving one of his companies.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea)
Leave a Reply