Bucharest court suspends PNL extraordinary congress decision, restoring old leadership as faction fight deepens

Court ruling

On 1 July 2026, the Bucharest Tribunal issued a provisional suspension of the National Liberal Party’s (PNL) decision to convene its extraordinary congress on 21 June. The court ordered that the effects of the resolution adopted by the Extraordinary National Council on 19 June be suspended until the final resolution of the annulment case, file number 26127/3/2026. The decision can be appealed within five days before the Bucharest Court of Appeal.

The minute of the ruling rejected claims against Ilie Bolojan and Secretary General Dan Motreanu as individuals, citing lack of standing, but admitted in part the claim against the PNL as a party. The court described the measure as a provisional suspension of the execution and effects of the decision.

Leadership rollback

As a direct consequence, the party leadership structure that existed before the 21 June congress is reinstated. The congress had elected a new leadership under Bolojan and removed members of the faction led by Hubert Thuma and Adrian Veștea. With the provisional suspension, that reshuffle is blocked and the previous composition remains in force until the case is finally decided.

The dissidents' challenge

The plaintiffs, a group of 18 PNL members including Monica Anisie, Rareș Bogdan, Sorin Cîmpeanu, Alina Gorghiu, Lucian Bode and Nicoleta Pauliuc, argued that the decision to call the congress violated the party statute. They filed multiple lawsuits at the Bucharest Tribunal: one seeking suspension of the congress decisions, a second challenging the congress resolutions directly, and a separate claim for moral damages of 250,000 lei per plaintiff, totalling 4,000,000 lei. The court’s decision to suspend the June 19 resolution effectively halts the legal basis for the congress.

Delayed documentation

A second separate case, contesting the congress decisions themselves, was postponed to 8 July after the PNL failed to submit the required documents. Sources told Adevarul that more than ten days after the congress, the party had not yet drafted the minutes of the leadership election and statutory changes, while it had prioritised drafting disciplinary and exclusion decisions against the plaintiffs. The dissidents claim the delay obstructs their right of defence and prevents judicial scrutiny of the leadership change.

Next steps

The Bucharest Court of Appeal will handle any appeal by the PNL against the suspension. The main annulment case at the Bucharest Tribunal has not yet received a first hearing date. The internal power struggle within Romania’s liberal party continues, with the contested leadership structure remaining in legal limbo.