The internal divisions within the National Liberal Party (PNL) are set to continue after the Bucharest Tribunal ruled to suspend the party’s decision to organize the extraordinary congress that was held on June 21.
More specifically, the court suspended the implementation of a decision made by the party’s National Council to convene the extraordinary congress. It also suspended the deadline for submitting motions by candidates for the PNL presidency and the appointment of the vote-counting committee.
The ruling is seen as a victory for the internal opponents of party president and interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan. Organized around former PNL vice-president and PM-designate Adrian Veștea, who was set to challenge Bolojan for party head before backing down, the group of Liberal MPs and elected officials are set to be expelled from the party following decisions reached at the same congress.
The other request submitted by the plaintiffs, seeking the suspension of the National Council decision regarding amendments to the PNL Statute, was dismissed as unfounded.
The ruling caused considerable confusion, since the PNL extraordinary congress has already taken place. During the congress, party delegates from across the country reconfirmed Ilie Bolojan as president. The Liberals also passed two motions – one ruling out once again future collaboration with the Social Democrats (PSD) and the other urging PM-designate Adrian Vestea, Alina Gorghiu (MP), MEP Rareș Bogdan, Hubert Thuma, and Lucian Bode (head of the party’s treasury) to resign.
The party reacted to the ruling, saying in a statement that the suspension has no practical effect because the Congress has already taken place. Furthermore, the party denounced what it described as the transfer of political battles into the judiciary branch.
The party also said that “only two days after the PNL extraordinary congress, the Bucharest Tribunal established six specialized panels to hear cases involving political parties. Only six judges, out of more than 100 at the Bucharest Tribunal, were directly designated by the president of that court, and only they may hear such cases. This is an unprecedented decision that circumvents the law governing the judiciary itself.”
According to G4Media, Cosmin Grossu Sterea, the president of the Bucharest Tribunal, is one of the most critical opponents of Ilie Bolojan and of the judicial system reform undertaken by the prime minister. Sterea, who personally appointed the six judges who will rule on matters involving political parties, said in a Facebook post on May 29 that Bolojan was “destroying justice” by raising the retirement age of magistrates and cutting their pensions.
PNL will challenge the ruling through all legal means possible, according to the same source. It also observed that another lawsuit concerning the decisions adopted by the Extraordinary Congress of June 21 is set to be heard on July 8. The case “has been assigned to Judge M.L., an associate of Ms. Gorghiu, who is also a plaintiff in the case,” PNL said in a press release.
A former PNL president, Alina Gorghiu, has recently positioned herself as a powerful critic of Ilie Bolojan. During her term as minister of justice, the judge in question was seconded and worked at the ministry, according to the PNL press release. “For this reason, PNL will seek her recusal,” the party said.
“A political party is governed by the decisions of the majority of its members and by decisions adopted through its statutory bodies. The minority submits to the majority. This is a clear principle accepted by every member of every political party,” PNL maintained.
(Photo source: Andrei Gabriel Stanescu|Dreamstime.com)
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