Gabriel Oprea

Gabriel Oprea (born June 25, 1961, in Fundulea, Călărași County) is a Romanian politician and former military officer. Throughout his career, he held several high-ranking positions in the Romanian government, including Minister of Defense, Minister of Administration and Interior, and Deputy Prime Minister. He also served briefly as interim Prime Minister. He is known for founding and leading the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) party, which played a significant role in coalition governments.

Early Life and Education

Gabriel Oprea initially pursued a military career, graduating from the "Nicolae Bălcescu" Military School for Active Officers in 1983. He later studied law, earning a degree from the Faculty of Law at the University of Bucharest in 1990. He also holds a doctorate in law from the same university, though his academic credentials later became the subject of controversy. Oprea rose through the ranks in the Ministry of National Defense before transitioning to a political and administrative career.

Political Career

Oprea's political ascent began in the early 2000s.

Local Administration and Parliament

He served as Prefect of Bucharest between 2001 and 2002. Subsequently, he was elected to the Romanian Parliament, first as a member of the Chamber of Deputies (2004-2008) and later as a Senator (2008-2016), representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD) initially.

Ministerial Roles

Oprea held several key ministerial portfolios:

• Minister of Administration and Interior (January-December 2009) in the cabinet of Emil Boc.
• Minister of National Defense (December 2009 – May 2012), also under Emil Boc and later Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu. During this period, he was an independent Member of Parliament.
• Deputy Prime Minister for National Security and Minister of Internal Affairs (May 2012 – November 2015) in the cabinets led by Victor Ponta. In this capacity, he oversaw vital aspects of national security and internal order.

Founding UNPR and Interim Prime Minister

In 2010, Oprea co-founded and became the leader of the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR), a centre-left party formed by defectors from the PSD and National Liberal Party (PNL). The UNPR often played a pivotal "kingmaker" role, offering its support to various coalition governments and providing stability, particularly during the second Ponta cabinet.

In June 2015, following Victor Ponta's temporary absence for medical treatment, Gabriel Oprea served as interim Prime Minister of Romania for several weeks.

Controversies and Public Perception

Gabriel Oprea's political career was marked by several controversies:

Academic Titles

Allegations of plagiarism surfaced regarding his doctoral thesis and those of several students he supervised. A national ethics council ruled in 2015 that his doctorate was not plagiarized, but later, in 2016, an appeals committee of the Ministry of Education found that his doctoral thesis contained elements of plagiarism, proposing its annulment.

"Traffic Police" Case

In October 2015, a police officer on his motorcade, Bogdan Gigină, died in an accident while escorting Oprea. This incident sparked widespread public outrage and led to a criminal investigation. Oprea was accused of abuse of office for allegedly using a police escort illegally and of culpable homicide. The case contributed to a major wave of anti-government protests that ultimately led to the resignation of the Ponta government. In 2018, the Bucharest Court of Appeal definitively acquitted Oprea of the charges of culpable homicide.

Later Life

Following the controversies and the UNPR's decline in influence after the 2016 elections, Gabriel Oprea largely withdrew from frontline politics.