Cătălin Cherecheș
Romanian politician
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Cătălin Cherecheș (born July 7, 1978) is a Romanian politician, who was the mayor of Baia Mare from May 8, 2011 and November 29, 2023.[1] Cherecheș was charged with corruption in 2016, and arrested in Germany in November 2023.[2] He began serving his prison sentence in Aiud Prison in Romania in March 2024.[2]
PNL (2010–2011)
UNPR (2013–2016)
Coalition for Baia Mare (2016–present)
Cătălin Cherecheș | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Baia Mare | |
| In office 8 May 2011 – 29 November 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Cristian Anghel |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 2008–2011 | |
| Constituency | Maramureș |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 7, 1978 Baia Mare, Romania |
| Party | PSD (2005–2010; 2011–2013) PNL (2010–2011) UNPR (2013–2016) Coalition for Baia Mare (2016–present) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Biography
Between 2005 and 2007, Cherecheș was the vice president and spokesperson of the Maramureș County organization of the Social Democratic Party.[3]
Cherecheș was elected in 2008 to the Chamber of Deputies on the Social Democratic Party. He resigned the party in February 2010, becoming an independent member of Parliament[4] and in May 2010 joined the National Liberal Party.[5]
In May 2011, following the criminal conviction of mayor Cristian Anghel, a by-election was held in Baia Mare. Cherecheș was named candidate of the Social Liberal Union.[6] He won the elections from the first round, getting 18,298 votes (51,66%).[7] Following his election, he resigned from the Parliament.[8]
In 2011, the local administration built a 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) tall wall between the road Strada Horea and an area of social housing that houses 1,000 Roma people into one-room apartments, some without water or electricity.[9] According to Cherecheș, this wall was designed to "prevent traffic accidents",[10] while some civic organizations said it amounted to a "Roma wall" and "institutionalized racism".[10] Later in 2011, the national anti-discrimination council fined Cherecheș for building the wall and ordered it to be pulled down.[11]
During the 2012 Romanian local elections, again as the candidate of the Social Liberal Union, he was re-elected mayor of Baia Mare, receiving 44,239 votes (86.03%), far ahead of Democratic Liberal candidate Ștefan Pop, who received only 2,785 votes.[12]
In September 2013, Cherecheș joined the National Union for the Progress of Romania.[3]
On May 20, 2016, Cherecheș was charged with corruption.[2]
Nevertheless, on June 5, 2016 Cherecheș ran as a candidate of the local Coalition for Baia Mare and was re-elected mayor while detained with 70.28% of the votes counted, according to the partial election results,[13] a first in Romanian politics.[14]
Shortly before being sentenced, Cherecheș fled to Germany in November 2023, but was caught just four days later.[2] Cherecheș awaited extradition until March 2024, when he began serving his prison sentence in Aiud Prison, back in Romania.[2] As of September 2024, he remains incarcerated at Aiud Prison, and is eligible for parole in August 2026.[2]