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Alina GorghiuRomanian statesman and political figure
Date of Birth: 16.09.1978
Country:  Romania |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Legal Career
- Political Career
- Deputy and Committee Roles
- Reelection and Constitutional Reform Advocacy
- PNL Leadership and Updated PNL Co-Chairing
- Senate and Vice-Presidency
- Personal Life
Early Life and Education
Alina Gorghiu was born in Tecuci, Romania, and graduated from Vlaicu Voda National College in Curtea de Arges in 1997. She went on to pursue a degree in Law and Administration at the Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, a postgraduate degree in Law at the University of Bucharest, and a degree in Economics, Law, and Management at the University of Pitesti between 2004 and 2008. In 2007, she obtained a Master's degree in Communication and Public Relations from the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest. In 2006, she commenced her doctoral thesis in Criminal Law at the University of Iasi's Faculty of Law, which she completed in 2012.
Legal Career
Gorghiu began her legal career as an intern lawyer in Bucharest in 2002-2003. She then worked as a lawyer at the firm Bogdan Olteanu from June 2003 to December 2004. In 2004, she became the Chief Legal Officer of a business and management consulting firm in Bucharest. From January 2005 to July 2007, she was a lawyer at Gorghiu, Pop and Associates, specializing in commercial, civil, and criminal law. Subsequently, she served as an advisor to the President of the National Authority for the Recovery of State Assets until December 2008.
In 2008, Gorghiu became an arbitrator of the International Arbitration Court and a certified mediator. She also became a member of the Mediation and Arbitration Council within the Faculty of Law at Titu Maiorescu University. In January 2009, she returned to Gorghiu, Pop and Associates while also working in an insolvency agency.
Political Career
Early Political RolesGorghiu joined the National Liberal Party (PNL) in 2002 and held two elected positions. From 2004 to 2008, she was a member of the local council in Bucharest's Sector 5. She was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2008.
Deputy and Committee Roles
In the Chamber of Deputies, Gorghiu served as Vice-Chair of the Committee for the Investigation of Abuses and Corruption and the Committee for Petitions. She also chaired the Investigation Committee to verify the sums of money paid by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, based on documents signed by Minister Monica Iacob-Ridzi, for the organization of the "Youth Day" festival in 2009. The committee's report, whose conclusions were presented in July 2009, alleged that Iacob-Ridzi had committed embezzlement and abuse of power and called for the prosecutor's office to indict her. When the Minister resigned a few days later, Gorghiu stated that she welcomed the resignation but that it should have happened sooner. She became one of the Vice-Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies from September to December 2012.
Reelection and Constitutional Reform Advocacy
Reelected in 2012, Gorghiu served on the Judiciary Committee. Additionally, as a member of the joint committee tasked with revising the constitution, she advocated for introducing absentee ballots and lowering the voting age to sixteen. In 2013, she joined the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.
PNL Leadership and Updated PNL Co-Chairing
In the second half of 2014, Gorghiu served as the PNL's Press Secretary. In December 2014, the PNL's Chairman Klaus Iohannis, who had been elected President of Romania, resigned from the party leadership before taking office, as required by the constitution. Alina Gorghiu was elected the PNL's new Chairman, winning 47 votes to Ludovic Orban's 28, becoming the party's youngest-ever leader and its first female one. In addition to leading the PNL, she also co-chaired the Renewed National Liberal Party (PNL-R) with Vasile Blaga, which was set to formally merge with the Democratic Liberal Party in 2017. After the PNL's defeat in the 2016 elections, Gorghiu stepped down as party leader.
Senate and Vice-Presidency
Concurrently, Gorghiu ran for the Romanian Senate and won a seat from Timis. After the 2020 elections, she became one of the Senate's Vice-Presidents.
Personal Life
In 2016, Alina Gorghiu married banker Lucian Isar, who briefly served as a junior minister under Victor Ponta in 2012. The couple have two sons.
