Mădălin Voicu

Who is Mădălin Voicu?

Mădălin Ştefan Voicu is a Romanian musician and politician of Romani ethnicity. Voicu is a member of the Social Democratic Party, and has been a parliamentarian in the Chamber of Deputies since 1996. He is one of only two ethnic Romani politicians in the current parliament; the other is Nicolae Păun, who holds the seat specifically reserved for a member of the Romani minority.

Mădălin is the son of Ion Voicu, a well-known Romani-Romanian musician. In his youth, he was close friends with Nicu Ceauşescu, the son of Communist Romania's leader Nicolae Ceauşescu, as well as with other young members of the nomenklatura.

Voicu graduated from the National University of Music, completed training as a conductor at various schools abroad, and was employed by orchestras in Craiova and Ploieşti.

He began his political activity as a member of the defunct Party of Liberty and Social Unity, then became active in the Social Democratic Roma Party of Romania, was elected to the seat reserved for minorities in the 1996-2000 legislature, before running on the PSD list in 2000.