Ilfov Tribunal Suspends PNL Decisions Blocking Support for Vestea Government

The court ruling

On 18 June, the Ilfov Tribunal admitted a request by 16 PNL parliamentarians and suspended decisions 22 and 25 of the party's National Political Bureau, adopted on 15 June. The suspension is provisional and executory, remaining in effect until a final ruling in the main litigation (case no. 1923/93/2026) concerning a damages claim. The PNL can appeal within 5 days.

The Ilfov Tribunal did not have territorial competence to rule on such a request, the territorial competence belonging to the Bucharest Tribunal, given that the central headquarters of PNL is in Bucharest.

What the suspended decisions said

Decision 22 mandated that PNL parliamentary groups not support the investiture of a government proposed by Adrian Vestea. MPs were instructed to either not participate in the vote or cast a "present, but I do not vote" ballot. Violation would lead to loss of party membership. Decision 25 stipulated that any member accepting a nomination for prime minister or minister without party approval would be excluded. Both decisions were signed by PNL president Ilie Bolojan and secretary general Dan Motreanu.

The petitioners' legal arguments

The 16 liberal MPs, including figures such as Monica Anisie, Alina Gorghiu and Andrei Baciu, challenged the decisions on four main grounds. They invoked Article 69 of Romania's Constitution, which prohibits imperative mandates, arguing that the BPN's instructions are a de facto imperative mandate. They claimed the BPN overstepped its statutory powers, as only the party's National Council can order expulsions. The automatic sanction bypassed mandatory disciplinary procedures, violating the right to defence. Lastly, the required conduct contradicted parliamentary regulations, which oblige MPs to participate in sessions and restrict voting options to "for" or "against", not a "present, not voting" formula.

PNL's response and next steps

The party's leadership flatly rejected the court's ruling. In a statement, the PNL said the decision does not affect its political line: neither the refusal to vote for a Vestea government nor the scheduling of an Extraordinary Congress nor the rejection of cooperation with the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The statement also highlighted what it called a record speed of resolution, noting that the request was processed without the party being notified or the case being displayed on the court portal in a timely manner.

We ask all political actors to refrain from using justice in political struggle. PNL does not give in and does not change its political decisions following such maneuvers.

A speed without precedent

HotNews.ro analysed the Ilfov Tribunal's caseload and found that of 41 requests for presidential ordinances filed in 2026, none had received a hearing on the same day. The average time to a first hearing is two weeks, with some cases stretching to two months. Even a case involving a child at risk, filed in January by the child protection agency, did not get a same-day ruling. Thursday's decision thus stands out as a procedural anomaly.