Emil Boc (; born 6 September 1966) is a Romanian politician who was

Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania (), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania (), is the head of the Government of Romania, Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled ''President of the Council of Ministers'' (), when ...

from 22 December 2008 until 6 February 2012 and is the current

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

, the largest city of

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, where he was first elected in July 2004. Boc was also the president of the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL), which proposed and supported him as Prime Minister in late 2008, from December 2004 until July 2012. On 13 October 2009, his cabinet fell after losing a

motion of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. He was acting as the head of acting cabinet until a new prime minister and cabinet were confirmed by Parliament. On 17 December 2009, President

Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a Romanian politician who served as the president of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian minister of transport on multiple occasions between 1991 and 2000, ...

designated him again to form a new government, receiving afterwards the vote of confidence from the Parliament.

Personal life

Emil Boc was born to Ioan and Ana Boc in the village of Răchițele, commune

Mărgău Mărgău (; ) is a commune in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Bociu (''Bocs''), Buteni (''Kalotabökény''), Ciuleni (''Incsel''), Mărgău, Răchițele (''Havasrekettye''), and Scrind-Frăsinet (''Kőrizstető' ...

Cluj County Cluj County () is a county () of Romania, in Transylvania. Its seat is Cluj-Napoca. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian it is known as ''Kolozs megye''. Under the Kingdom of Hungary, a county with an identical name (Kolozs County, ) existed s ...

; he has three older brothers (Ioan, Gheorghe, and Traian) and one sister (Dorina). Boc and his wife Oana, a university lecturer whom he married in July 1994, have two daughters, Cezara and Patricia.

Political career

Before the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...

of 1989, Boc was, together with future PSD leader Ioan Rus, president of the of

. Boc's entrance into mainstream Romanian politics was in 2003, when he was elected executive president of the Democratic Party (PD); he had been proposed by

. His original job was to clearly define the Democratic Party's identity so that it would not be confused with the National Liberal Party (PNL).

First Cluj-Napoca mayorship (2004–2008)

He assumed the position of mayor after the 2004 election victory against the

far right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...

nationalist

Gheorghe Funar Gheorghe Funar (; born September 29, 1949, in Sânnicolau Mare, Timiș County, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a nationalist Romanian politician, who rose to fame as a controversial mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking o ...

of Romanian National Unity Party (PUNR), who had previously been mayor of Cluj-Napoca for twelve years. In that election, Funar lost out in the first round to both Boc and the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(PSD) candidate Ioan Rus. Boc went on to defeat Rus in a run-off election. In the 2008 election, Boc received 76.2% of the vote, avoiding a second round. In May 2012 Boc announced to run again for mayor of Cluj-Napoca in the June 2012 local elections which he won.

Prime Minister of Romania

Following the 2008 legislative elections, the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) joined forces to form a government. President

initially nominated

Theodor Stolojan Theodor Dumitru Stolojan (; born 24 October 1943) is a Romanian politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from September 1991 to November 1992. An economist by training, he was also one of the presidents of the National Liberal Party (PNL) be ...

as prime minister, but, following Stolojan's withdrawal, on 15 December Boc was nominated as head of government and was confirmed by

on 22 December 2008. Boc's government fell after a

vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

in the Parliament on 13 October 2009. The vote followed the collapse of his ruling coalition, which was caused by his ousting of

Dan Nica Dan Nica (born July 2, 1960) is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2014. He held a seat in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Galați Count ...

, the interior minister. Boc acted as interim prime minister until a new government was to take charge. The opposition parliamentary groups proposed

Klaus Iohannis Klaus Werner Iohannis (; ; born 13 June 1959) is a Romanian politician, physicist, and former teacher who served as the fifth president of Romania from 2014 until his resignation in 2025. Prior to entering Politics of Romania, national politics, ...

as a candidate, but President

nominated Lucian Croitoru, and after his failing to obtain the Parliament confirmation for his government, he nominated Liviu Negoiță. Eventually, Boc was reinstated as prime minister after the presidential elections ended with the victory of incumbent president Traian Băsescu who supported him. On 6 February 2012, Boc resigned from office amid ongoing protests.

Second Cluj-Napoca mayorship (2012–present)

In 2012, Boc was relected mayor of Cluj-Napoca once again.

Electoral history

Mayor of Cluj-Napoca

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boc, Emil 1966 births Living people People from Cluj County Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox Christians from Romania Democratic Party (Romania) politicians Democratic Liberal Party (Romania) politicians Prime ministers of Romania Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Mayors of Cluj-Napoca