Cătălin Cherecheș (born 7 July 1978) is a Romanian politician, currently quarantined in Rahova, after being detained in Germany, while waiting to be extradited to Romania.[1] He was the mayor of Baia Mare between May 8, 2011 and November 29, 2023.[2]
Cherecheș was elected in 2008 to the Chamber of Deputies on the Social Democratic Party. He resigned the party in February 2010, becoming an independent member of Parliament[4] and in May 2010 joined the National Liberal Party.[5]
In May 2011, following the criminal conviction of mayor Cristian Anghel, a by-election was held in Baia Mare. Cherecheș was named candidate of the Social Liberal Union.[6] He won the elections from the first round, getting 18,298 votes (51,66%).[7] Following his election, he resigned from the Parliament.[8]
During the 2012 Romanian local elections, again as the candidate of the Social Liberal Union, he was reelected mayor of Baia Mare, receiving 44,239 votes (86.03%), far ahead of Democratic-Liberal Ștefan Pop, who received only 2,785 votes.[9]
Nevertheless, on 5 June 2016 Cherecheș ran as a candidate of the local Coalition for Baia Mare and was re-elected mayor while detained with 70.28% of the votes counted, according to the partial election results,[10] a first in Romanian politics.[11]
