Romeo Stavarache

Romeo Stavarache is the mayor of Bacău, Romania. In 2004, Stavarache succeeded in defeating one of the most powerful local politicians, Dumitru Sechelariu, who had been mayor there since 1996. Stavarache, practically unknown to the electorate until a few months before the elections, exploited the mistakes made by Sechelariu, as well as the general fatigue expressed by many Romanians with regard to the Social Democratic Party (PSD) policies and the local PSD politicians who were often believed to be corrupt Fact|date=November 2007 .

Unlike Sechelariu, who was an automechanic transformed into a multi-miilionaire businessman, Stavarache is a chemical engineer. He is an inventor, having won several important international awards Fact|date=November 2007.

In 2004, at the time of the latest local elections, Stavarache was the leader of the Humanist Romanian Party (PUR) - Bacău section. The party he represented was allied, at that time, with the PSD, but had little backing from the electorate. However, in Bacău County, a traditional stronghold for PSD and its financial coffers, Stavarache succeeded in defeating Sechelariu.

Stavarache's victory was not so much his personal success than Sechelariu's punishment for his arrogance and shady affairs. In August 2004, after having a political argument with the national leader of PUR (Dan Voiculescu), Romeo Stavarache decided to quit his political party and join the Liberals. Late in December 2004, the Liberals, allied with the Democrats and other smaller political forces, forced PSD out of power and won a majority in Parliament. In 2005, Stavarache won a much contested local competition for the position of PNL leader - Bacău section.

In 2006 a friend of his bought Ziarul de Bacau, one of the local daily newspapers. Ever since, the publication, previously loyal to the PSD, has been a constant worshipper of the current mayor and the Liberal Party. This comes to balance the attitude of another traditional local newspaper, Desteptarea, part of a media corporation owned by Sechelariu and currently offering daily praise to his brother, who is to run for the Mayor position in June 2008.