Mihai-Laurențiu Polițeanu

Mihai Laurențiu Polițeanu (born 9 September 1977) is a Romanian politician and civic activist who is serving as the mayor of Ploiești since 2024. He was previously a member of the Chamber of Deputies between 2020 and 2024.

Affiliated with the USR PLUS alliance between 2019 and 2022, Polițeanu became an independent and led the civic platform Mișcarea Noi, Ploieștenii, under whose banner was elected mayor of Ploiești in 2024.

Early life and education Polițeanu was born on 9 September 1977 in Ploiești, Romania. He completed his secondary education at the Mihai Viteazu National College in his native city, graduating in 1996. He then enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bucharest, from which he graduated in 2000.

In June 2000, following his graduation in Philosophy from the University of Bucharest, he was selected as a participant in the "Summer School – Romania of the 21st Century" program, as reported in Dilema weekly.

Polițeanu pursued further academic training, undertaking postgraduate studies at the Central European University in Budapest. He subsequently studied community law at the Faculty of Law within the University of Bucharest.

Drawing on earlier experience in party-affiliated journalism with Dreptatea in 2001, Polițeanu later turned toward civic activism.

Coalition for a Clean Parliament In 2004, Polițeanu was first mentioned in the press as the secretary of the "Coalition for a Clean Parliament", a civic initiative formed by 11 NGOs to assess the integrity of candidates running in the legislative elections.

The coalition, coordinated by organizations such as the Romanian Academic Society (SAR) and the Pro Democracy Association, aimed to monitor political parties and expose candidates facing allegations of corruption or incompatibility. Its reports, released before the 2004 elections, sought to encourage voters to reject controversial candidates and to promote higher standards of accountability within Romanian politics. Among the institutional reforms supported during this period were the establishment of the Direcția Națională Anticorupție (DNA) and the creation of the (ANI), which aimed to increase transparency and accountability in public office. and contributed to the Academic Society of Romania's "Coalition for a Clean Parliament", an initiative promoting integrity in electoral processes.

Parliamentary Assistant in the European Parliament From 2009 until 2015, he served as an assistant to Macovei in the European Parliament, focusing on legislative and policy issues related to judicial reform and anticorruption measures. In April 2015, shortly after the launch of the M10 party, he resigned from its structures.

Inițiativa România (Initiative Romania) In 2015, Polițeanu co-founded the civic platform Inițiativa România, a movement dedicated to advocating for anticorruption policies and enhancing democratic governance. Through this platform, he participated in numerous public campaigns and civic actions aimed at strengthening accountability within Romanian institutions.

M10 Party The political expression of the M10 Association, the M10 Party, was launched in March 2015 and legally registered later that summer. Polițeanu, co-founder of the M10 Association and president of its Bucharest branch, was involved in the political project of creating and launching the party.

He was presented in the press as the (then) head of the Bucharest branch of the party, a position also explicitly mentioned by political analyst Cristian Ghinea in *Dilema Veche*. However, in early April 2015, he announced his resignation, stating: "I resigned from M10. In the following weeks I will address personal matters long neglected," also adding that he would never return to the organization. At the time of his resignation, several media outlets referred to him as the president of M10’s Bucharest branch.

In a later interview (December 2015 clarification), Polițeanu stated: "I was never part of the M10 Party, I left earlier. I only worked in the association and in the moments preceding the party."

In June 2024, Polițeanu won the mayorship election with 25.49% of the vote, surpassing both Bogdan Nica (20.06%), the candidate of PNL, and the incumbent mayor Andrei Volosevici (19.39%), who switched from PNL to PSD during his last term. He described his victory as evidence that an anti-system political alternative could successfully challenge established parties in local elections.

Polițeanu was formally sworn into office on 25 October 2024, during a public ceremony in which he stated his commitment to cooperate constructively with the local council while expecting the same level of responsibility towards the city's development.

Personal life Polițeanu is engaged to Elena, a native of Pașcani, Iași County. He also has a sister residing in Ploiești. Their father, originally from Fântânele, died in 2003. and who had previously been one of the co-founders of the civic platform "Inițiativa România".

Electoral history

Mayor of Ploiești Election Affiliation Main round Votes Percentage Position 2024 17,913