Romania’s Liberal Party opens merger talks with Forța Dreptei, plans ‘Modernization Pole’

Romania’s National Liberal Party (PNL) announced that it approved the opening of negotiations for a merger by absorption with the Forța Dreptei party. The move is intended to launch the proposed ‘Modernization Pole,’ a wider center-right political alliance.

The PNL said its National Political Bureau unanimously approved the negotiations on Sunday, November 8. The initiative follows a direction endorsed at the party’s June 2026 congress.

PNL leader Ilie Bolojan, a former prime minister, said the party would use its time in opposition to build “a serious center-right alternative” for the 2028 elections, based on “credible candidates and concrete governing proposals,” according to the party’s statement.

Bucharest mayor and PNL first vice president Ciprian Ciucu also claimed that the merger talks represented the first stage in building the new alliance.

“As we are in opposition, we will revitalize the specialist committees, to which we will also invite experts from outside the National Liberal Party,” Ciucu wrote on Facebook.

The PNL said the committees would bring together party members and independent specialists to develop policy proposals in strategic areas.

Liberal MEP Siegfried Mureșan argued that the alliance should include all parties seeking “a modern Romania, without waste and theft” and compete directly with the far-right AUR in 2028.

“I am convinced that, immediately after its formation, the Modernization Pole will exceed 30% in voter preferences and compete with AUR on an equal footing,” he said.

He also predicted that the Social Democratic Party (PSD), which is currently part of the government, would fall below 20% and rank third in future polls.