Head of Romania’s senior ruling Liberal Party says he’s close to new term

Ludovic Orban, the leader of the senior ruling Liberal Party (PNL) in Romania, announced that 36 of his party's 41 county organizations expressed by vote their support for his candidacy for a new term as party leader.

The Liberal leader also said that the party's congress would take place this year, but the event will be organized according to the epidemiological situation.

"A number of 36 organizations voted in the county offices in support of my candidacy. I didn't force [them]. It's just normal, natural to have elections in the party because democracy also means democracy within the party. Clearly, we will hold a Congress this year," Ludovic Orban said during a press conference on Friday, News.ro reported.

He also said that the congress would take place depending on how the epidemiological situation evolves.

"According to the statutory provisions of the PNL, in the year after the parliamentary elections, elections are organized in the party at all levels. […] Given that we had the third wave of the pandemic with a peak of over 6,000 [daily] cases, it would have been inappropriate to start organizing the congress because we do not have procedures to vote online. And it is very difficult to do that," he said.

(Photo source: Gov.ro)