Crin Antonescu

George Crin Laurențiu Antonescu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈd͡ʒe̯ord͡ʒe ˈkrin la.uˈrent͡sju antoˈnesku]; born September 21, 1959) is a Romanian politician, who was President of the National Liberal Party (PNL) from 2009 to 2014. He also served as the country Acting President after the suspension of Traian Basescu and as the President Of Senate .

He is a member of the Senate. He was first elected to the Senate in the 2008 legislative election. From 1996 to 2008, he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies, acting as leader of the party delegates between 2007 and 2008. On 3 July 2012 he was elected President of the Senate after the dismissal of the former leader, Vasile Blaga, from office. He became Acting President of Romania on 10 July 2012 after the Parliament suspended Traian Băsescu for the second time on 6 July 2012.

On March 4, 2014, during the debate in Parliament on the vote for a new government Crin Antonescu resigned as president of the Senate.

Antonescu was born in Tulcea, Tulcea County. After his parents' divorce he was raised by his father, who encouraged him to attend the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the National University of Bucharest, in order to become a History teacher.

Upon graduating in 1985, Crin Antonescu worked as a History teacher in the village of Solești, Vaslui County. He later returned to Tulcea, continuing his teaching activity in Niculițel until 1989. Antonescu worked as a curator for the Tulcea Museum of History and Archaeology from 1989 to 1990, when he resumed his teaching activity at the “Spiru Haret” High School in Tulcea, prior to being elected to the Chamber of Deputies.

Antonescu and Victor Ponta in 2013

Upon joining the National Liberal Party, Antonescu helped organize the Tulcea branch of the party. In 1995, he was elected PNL Vice President and, subsequently, leader of the Liberal politicians active in the Chamber of Deputies, holding that position for two non-consecutive mandates. During his activity in the Chamber of Deputies, he was a member of the Committee for Education, Youth and Sports, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee of Culture, Arts and Media.

Crin Antonescu was the Romanian Minister of Youth and Sports from 1997 to 2000. He initiated a series of reforms, the most prominent being the legal perpetuity for Romanian athletes with significant Olympic results.

As of March 20, 2009, Crin Antonescu was the President of the National Liberal Party, in addition to being the party’s candidate for the 2009 Presidential Elections in Romania. In September 2009, Crin Antonescu was situated third in Romanians' voting preferences for the 2009 Presidential elections.

After President Traian Băsescu's suspension on July 3, 2012, he assumed acting Presidency of Romania.

Antonescu's first wife Aurelia committed suicide in 2004 due to an incurable disease. The pair have a daughter, Irina, born in 2001. In June 2009, Antonescu announced he would get married again to party colleague Adina Vălean. The couple married on 25 September 2009.