| Iurie Muntean | |
| Office: | Member of the Moldovan Parliament |
| Term Start: | 14 August 2009 |
| Term End: | 9 December 2014 |
| Office2: | Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade |
| Birth Date: | 13 May 1972 |
| Birth Place: | Criuleni, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality: | Moldovan |
| Party: | Collective Action Party – Civic Congress |
| Otherparty: | Party of Communists |
| Alma Mater: | Moldova State University |
| Profession: | Jurist |
| Parliamentarygroup: | Party of Communists |
| Termstart2: | 30 April 2008 |
| Termend2: | 9 September 2009 |
| President2: | Vladimir Voronin |
| Primeminister2: | Zinaida Greceanîi |
| Minister2: | Igor Dodon |
Iurie Muntean (born 13 May 1972) is a Moldovan politician, who served as a deputy Minister of Economy and Trade (2008–2009) and member of the Parliament of Moldova (2009–2014).[1] [2]
He graduated from Moldova State University in 1994. Iurie Muntean worked as a jurist for the Ministry of Economy (July 1994 – June 1996), ARIA (1996–2002, August 2006 – April 2007), the office of lawyers "Justil Group".[3] Then he served as a deputy of Igor Dodon. In March 2001, Iurie Muntean participated with journalists Constantin Tănase, Aneta Grosu, and the folk music singer Maria Sarabaş in a Romanian-Moldovan delegation to Atlanta, where Iurie Muntean danced "Hora Unirii", which is contrary to his communist ideology.[4] [5] Muntean, however, denies having danced Hora Unirii.[6] [7]
Iurie Muntean served as the executive secretary of the Party of Communists (PCRM) since 2010.[8] Iurie Muntean was at one point a favourite to succeed Vladimir Voronin as the head of the Party of Communists (PCRM).[9]
In the summer of 2014, Iurie Muntean was excluded from the PCRM Executive Committee, then from the position of party executive secretary, that on 23 December 2014 he would be definitively excluded from the Communist Party.[10] About his exclusion from the party Muntean later said: “I was excluded from PCRM for leftist views”... "although I am a true third-generation communist."[11]
Known for his strong Moldovenist position, Iurie Muntean appeared in public at some rallies in a T-shirt that had inscribed on him „Еу сынт молдован! Еу грэеск молдовенеште!’ (written in Cyrillic: “I am Moldovan, I speak Moldavian”).[12] [13] His brother Ivan Muntean is the leader of the obstastie association "I am Moldovan, I speak Moldovan".[14] [15] In 2019, together with Mark Tkaciuk, he founded the Collective Action Party – Civic Congress.