PNL opens merger talks to absorb Ludovic Orban's Forța Dreptei party

The vote and what it approves

On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the National Liberal Party's Political Bureau (BPN) approved opening negotiations for the absorption merger of Forța Dreptei into the PNL. The party describes this as the first step toward building what it calls the Modernisation Pole (Polul Modernizării). The PNL statement said the Bureau acted unanimously, while Ciprian Ciucu, the party's first vice-president, wrote on Facebook that the vote passed by a very large majority. Ciucu added that, because the party is in opposition, specialist committees would be revived and would include experts from outside the PNL. A separate BPN decision launched procedures to recover sums tied to unpaid invoices and to contracts signed without respecting the party's statutes. The party linked the direction to its congress in June 2026.

“This is the direction set at the PNL congress in June 2026 and backed by most PNL members.”

Orban's party and his expected return

Ludovic Orban founded Forța Dreptei after he resigned from the PNL on 23 November 2021, together with 15 liberals who left the parliamentary groups. He cited conflict with the new party leadership and disagreement over the PNL-PSD alliance, which had been backed by former president Klaus Iohannis. Orban served as prime minister in 2019-2020, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in 2020-2021 and PNL president in 2017-2021. Speaking to Libertatea right after the announcement, Orban said the party he leads would be absorbed. Under these conditions, his return to the PNL is expected.

“Forța Dreptei will be absorbed into the PNL and will cease to exist as a separate legal entity.”

Orban had already spoken about the talks in May 2026. In remarks to B1 TV on 8 May 2026, he said he had been in discussions with Ilie Bolojan for some time about reintegrating the Forța Dreptei members, describing an agreement in principle for an absorption merger. Adevărul later reported that Orban's break with the PNL came over criticism of Klaus Iohannis and of the party leadership's move to bring the PSD back into government.

Alliance debate and analysis

Siegfried Mureșan, a PNL vice-president of the European People's Party, wrote on Facebook on Saturday, 7 November, that efforts to divide the PNL and USR were aimed at weakening both parties. He stressed that the two parties remain distinct, each with its own identity.

“The National Liberal Party and USR are two distinct parties, each with its own identity.”

Ionuț Moșteanu, a USR deputy and former defence minister, separately backed a liberal pole made up of the PNL and USR for the coming elections. He said Ilie Bolojan was the only guarantee that the liberals would not return to an alliance with the PSD. In a 15 May 2026 analysis for Adevărul, political scientist Adrian Zăbavă argued that Orban's return could strengthen Bolojan's position inside the PNL, but would not necessarily bring significant electoral gains in the short term.

Timeline and next stage

The articles describe the Bureau's decision as the start of a process rather than a finished merger, since it covers opening procedures and negotiations. Bolojan said the party would use its time in opposition to build a serious centre-right alternative for the 2028 elections, with credible candidates and concrete governing solutions. The committees to be set up will draw on PNL members and specialists from outside the parties. The PNL has framed the merger as part of a broader Modernisation Pole, and the sources do not give a date for when the absorption would be completed.