Damian Butnariu, mayor of Mogoșești-Siret (a settlement in Iași County with 3,600 inhabitants), is looking to keep his velvet seat despite having admitted in court that he had sex with two minors in the Mayor’s Office building. Butnariu is using the colors of the National Liberal Party (PNL) in his campaign, even though he was dismissed from the party earlier this year after news broke of his use of the institution as a brothel.
Back in January, Butnariu was excluded from the liberal party after Ziarul de Iași revealed that his name had appeared in a human trafficking case: The mayor had had sex in City Hall with two minors brought to him by a pimp. At that time, PNL President Ludovic Orban declared that “he will not run again, and we will have another candidate.” Now, when asked about the situation in Mogoșești-Siret, Orban answered: “I have no idea.”
Fast forward to today, and in a unique move countrywide, the liberal party has no candidate for the mayor’s position in this settlement. Sources speaking with G4Media say Butnariu is being backed by the party he was dismissed from, the PNL.
Left without a political party, Butnariu submitted his candidacy application before the deadline as an independent. “I have common sense. I said that if people want me to, I will stop, but people have convinced me through a common movement to run,” Damian Butnariu told G4Media.
The news outlet’s sources say Butnariu’s candidacy is being secretly backed by the Liberal Party. First of all, no one seems to care that the colors used by Butnariu on his banners are identical to those of the Liberal Party. Secondly, sources cited by G4Media corroborate that he is too “valuable” to be left without the support of the Liberal Party despite his breaking the law by having sex with two minors inside the building that represents the government.
Title image: Butnariu’s banner. Image source: G4Media
