Victor Ciorbea

Victor Ciorbea


Prime Minister of Romania
In office 12 December 1996 – 30 March 1998
President	Emil Constantinescu
Preceded by	Nicolae Văcăroiu
Succeeded by	Gavril Dejeu (Acting)
Mayor of Bucharest
In office June 1996 – 12 December 1996
Preceded by	Crin Halaicu
Succeeded by	Viorel Lis (Acting)
Ombudsman
Incumbent
Assumed office April 2014
Personal details
Born	(1954-10-26) 26 October 1954 (age 62) Ponor, Romania
Political party	National Liberal Party (2012-2014) Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party (1989–2012)
Alma mater	Babeş-Bolyai University University of Bucharest, Case Western Reserve University
Profession	Jurist

Victor Ciorbea (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈviktor ˈt͡ʃjorbe̯a]; born on 26 October 1954) is a Romanian jurist, politician and civil servant. He was the Mayor of Bucharest in 1996-1997 and, after his resignation from office, Prime Minister of Romania from 12 December 1996 to 30 March 1998.

Born in Ponor, Alba County, Ciorbea trained as a jurist (graduating from the University of Cluj-Napoca in 1979), and worked for the municipal tribunal in Bucharest, as well as lecturing in Law at the University of Bucharest. He was awarded a doctorate in Law by the University of Bucharest, and later specialized in management at the Case Western Reserve University in the United States (1992).

Originally a trade unionist (between 1990 and 1996, he was leader of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education, FSLI, and, between 1990 and 1993, leader of the nationwide National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania - Brotherhood) and member of the National Peasants' Party (PNȚCD), he was backed for the premiership by the Romanian Democratic Convention after the elections of 1996. Ciorbea enforced several measures in order to advance Romania's transition toward a market economy, including an austerity budget (following a program known as Contractul cu România - "Contract with Romania").