Former PUSL rebrands as PUCL, honors anti-communist MEP Claudiu Târziu

The political formation created by former Securitate operative Dan Voiculescu underwent another ideological shift on Friday, renaming itself from the Partidul Umanist Social Liberal to the Partidul Umanist Conservator Liberal. The rebranding was announced in a press release and celebrated in the Nicolae Iorga Hall of the Parliament Palace, where europarliamentarian Claudiu Târziu was invited as the guest of honor. Târziu, who heads the party Acţiunea Conservatoare and brands himself as anti-communist, previously served as co-president of the extremist AUR party before departing after conflicts with George Simion.

He is known for anti-communist rhetoric and controversial statements. Dan Voiculescu, the party’s founder, was classified in 2006 as a former collaborator of the communist secret police, having provided reports on foreign citizens. He was later sentenced to ten years for involvement in a fraudulent privatization of the former Institute of Food Research, serving less than three years before release in 2017, and recent court actions have suspended the recovery of the alleged loss.