Pantelimon Erhan

Pantelimon Erhan (1884 – April/May 1971)^[3] was a Bessarabian politician and prime minister of the Moldavian Democratic Republic (1917–1918).

Pantelimon Erhan
Erhan in 1929
1st Prime Minister of the Moldavian Democratic Republic
In office 7 December 1917 – 13 January 1918
President	Ion Inculeț
Preceded by	formation of the Republic
Succeeded by	Daniel Ciugureanu
Director General of Public Instruction
In office 1917–1918
Preceded by	Ştefan Ciobanu
Member of the Moldovan Parliament
In office 1917–1918
Member of the Senate of Romania[1]
Member of the Russian Constituent Assembly
In office 1917–1918
Personal details
Born	1884 Tănătari, Bessarabia Governorate, Russian Empire (now Moldova)
Died	April/May 1971 Bucharest, Socialist Republic of Romania
Political party	Socialist Revolutionary Party
Other political affiliations	National Moldavian Party[2] Bessarabian Peasants' Party League against Usury (1929-1932)
1. The name was President of the Council of Directors General.

Biography

Pantelimon Erhan was born in 1884 in Tănătari, Căușeni District. He died in April or May 1971 in Bucharest.

Prime minister

He was the first prime minister of the Moldavian Democratic Republic (7 December [O.S. 24 November] 1917 - 29 January [O.S. 16 January] 1918).

On 7 December [O.S. 24 November] 1917, Sfatul Țării elected the Pantelimon Erhan Cabinet (named the Council of Directors General), with nine members and with Pantelimon Erhan as President of the Council of Directors General and Director General for Agriculture. Agrarian reform was a cornerstone priority of the Moldavian Democratic Republic government.

The presence of the Romanian Army in the Moldavian Democratic Republic caused tension within the council, with some of its members, including Pantelimon Erhan, protesting against it.^[4][5] In particular, they feared that the Romanian government, dominated by large land owners, could use the troops to prevent the envisaged agrarian reform.^[6]

Pantelimon Erhan was elected in the Russian Constituent Assembly, but, after its dissolution by the Bolshevik Government, moved closer to the pan-Romanianists. He joined the leadership of the National Moldavian Party, being expelled from the Socialist Revolutionary Party.^[7] Erhan voted for the union of Bessarabia with Romania and was later elected in the Senate of Romania.

See also

• Pantelimon Erhan Cabinet