Former liberal MP Ludovic Orban was elected on Saturday, by the PNL Congress, as the new chairman of the party, by 3,518 votes, while his counter-candidate Cristian Busoi got 952 votes, President of the Committee for votes’ counting Mircea Toader announced. 34 ballots were cancelled.
Orban stated at the end of the Congress that the Liberals’ trust honors him, yet mentioning that it’s not his victory, but the party’s. He announced that under his chairmanship, PNL will be a Liberal conservative party of right wing, that “will fight” with all its strength to implement the Right policies in Romania to ensure the economic growth.
“As of today, PNL will be a loyal, correct partner for president Klaus Iohannis and to enforce all commitments that we have assumed together when we won the 2014 elections (…) I will fight with all my strength to succeed in winning the presidential elections in 2019, in securing a new mandate for president Klaus Iohannis, and after this victory to succeed in winning the local elections, and, last but not least, my fundamental goal is winning the general elections,” stated Orban.
Daniel Buda was elected president of the Arbitration Commission (CA) with 1,948 votes and Mihai Barbu, with 2,479 votes was elected president of the National Commission for Revision and Auditors (CNRC).
The National Liberal Party (PNL) has held the national congress on Saturday at Romexpo, in Bucharest, in order to elect the new chairman of the party from among two candidates: Cristian Busoi and Ludovic Orban.
According to the media, most party branches have previously vowed support for Ludovic Orban. Meanwhile, the former PDL leader Vasile Blaga, has refused to state whom he supports.
Orban has filed the motion ‘PNL – the Right Force’ and Busoi has his motion called ‘PNL – party of the future. For a right, balanced and strong Romania’ – they are the only ones in the race for chairmanship, as the motion filed by the third candidate, Viorel Catarama, was not validated by the County Committees in at least 10 party branches.
PNL branches in Giurgiu, Olt, Sibiu, Gorj, Alba, Galati, Botosani, Tulcea, Satu Mare, Hunedoara and Arad have vowed support for Ludovic Orban.
The Mures, Harghita and Cluj have decided to let delegates vote by free will.
The PNL congress was attended by more than 4,600 delegates. The National Coordination Council also elected four first vice-chairmen, the secretary general and 16 vice-chairmen.
The congress was attended by guests to deliver speeches: the EPP Secretary General Antonio Lopez Isturiz White, presidential adviser Laurentiu Stefan and the UDMR group leader in the Chamber of Deputies Attila Korodi. Speeches were also delivered by PNL honorary chairman Mircea Ionescu-Quintus and the liberal interim chair Raluca Turcan.