
10 days · 11 summary articles
Ilie Bolojan will present his proposed leadership team for the National Liberal Party (PNL) on Sunday, 21 June 2026, at an extraordinary congress that has already been confirmed by the party’s National Council despite internal dissent and legal challenges. Bolojan’s slate, filed on Saturday, includes Dan Motreanu as proposed first vice-president, Oana Gheorghiu and Dragoș Pîslaru as vice-presidents, and Robert Sighiartău as secretary general . The same motion names Motreanu as the party’s candidate for the European Parliament’s centre-right leadership race, underscoring Bolojan’s intent to align the PNL’s national and European strategies.
The extraordinary congress was convened on Friday evening after the National Council met at 17:00 to finalise arrangements and to consider motions to expel members who disregard party decisions . Adrian Veștea, who faces possible expulsion, announced on Saturday that he would not stand as a candidate and characterised the congress as an “undemocratic simulation” designed to impose a “dictatorship” within the party, vowing to pursue all legal avenues to contest its validity .
The leadership slate was filed hours before the 17:00 Saturday deadline at Romexpo, where Bolojan also opened a technical session ahead of Sunday’s vote . The same day, Gheorghiu and Pîslaru, both serving ministers, registered as PNL members, moves widely interpreted as bolstering Bolojan’s reformist faction ahead of the ballot .
The congress will also vote on amendments to the party statutes, a process that has already drawn criticism from former ALDE leaders. Varujan Vosganian announced that members who joined from the now-dissolved Alliance of Liberals and Democrats will boycott Sunday’s proceedings, accusing Bolojan of acting “like Lenin” and violating the terms of the 2022 merger agreement .
Ciprian Ciucu, previously tipped for the first vice-presidency, withdrew his candidacy on Saturday after the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) opened a file against him, removing a potential rival and complicating the opposition’s ability to mount a unified challenge .