Romanian businessman Gigi Becali, the owner of Bucharest-based Steaua football club tops the list of the populist New Generation Party-PNG for the European Parliament elections due to take place in Romania this fall.
The PNG list also includes famous Romanian goalkeeper turned coach Helmut Duckadam - best known as “hero of Seville” for defending four consecutive penalty shots in the penalty shoot-out of the 1986 European Cup final where Duckadam’s Steaua defeated FC Barcelona in Seville.
PNG presented its main candidates for the EP elections on Friday. Most are high profile personalities as party leader Gigi Becali said the main criteria was the notoriety of potential candidates.
PNG was bolstered in opinion polls in the past year mainly due to Gigi Becali, a very rich businessman who turned to politics.
His popularity is largely attributed to “buying” voters from among the poorer Romanians by giving them financial support in time of need or crises, as well as profiling high on TV as the owner of Romania’s most successful football club, Steaua.
Becali says he expected to win 15-20% of the vote based on the latest public opinion polls.
