Liberals in Romania decide to stand behind one leader

The National Liberal Party – PNL’s members decided on Saturday that Alina Gorghiu will be the sole president of the party until the next year's congress. Gorghiu was one of PNL’s two co-presidents together with Vasile Blaga. However, Blaga stepped down from this position after the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) started an investigation against him last week for conducting an illegal financing scheme for his party (the Liberal Democratic Party – PDL) in 2009. The liberals decided not to name a person to replace Blaga but to keep just one party president. Gorghiu thus becomes the most powerful woman in local politics but she will have the difficult mission to get the party through the parliamentary elections in December. The liberals also decided that Arad mayor Gheoghe Falca will coordinate PNL’s electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections. The current National Liberal Party was formed in early-2015 from the merger between the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Liberal Democratic Party (PDL). PNL came second in the local elections in June, with around 30% of the total votes. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Partidul National Liberal on Facebook)