Romania's PNL begins expelling members who backed failed Veștea government

The purge after a failed investiture

Romania’s National Liberal Party is set to expel a large group of its own members on Tuesday, June 23, after they supported a government that collapsed in parliament the previous evening. The Cabinet proposed by Adrian Veștea, the president of the Brașov county council, gathered only 189 votes in favour, far below the constitutional threshold of 233. A total of 212 votes were cast, with 23 against and the rest either absent or abstaining.

The PNL leadership, newly installed at an extraordinary party congress on Sunday, had warned liberal lawmakers not to back the Veștea cabinet. Those who did, and those who accepted ministerial positions in the short-lived lineup, are now to be excluded from the party. The meeting of the Permanent National Bureau is scheduled for 18:00 local time, though the agenda may shift because President Nicușor Dan has summoned parties for consultations at Cotroceni Palace the same day.

The list of those facing expulsion

The number of members targeted varies between 20 and 21 depending on the source. The most commonly cited figure is 20 people: 16 parliamentarians, three county council (CJ) presidents, and one MEP. Among the prominent names are Adrian Veștea himself, former interior minister Cătălin Predoiu, former PNL president Alina Gorghiu, Ilfov CJ president Hubert Thuma, Giurgiu CJ president Toma Petcu, senator and defence committee chair Nicoleta Pauliuc, and MEP Rareș Bogdan. Other deputies and senators on the list include Monica Anisie, Sorin Cîmpeanu, Lucian Bode, Mihai Veștea, Andrei Baciu, Ion Iordache, Aneta Matei, Eduard Mititelu, Ciprian Pandea, Răzvan Prișcă, Sebastian Rusu, Ionuț Stroe and George Scarlat.

Several of those named accepted ministerial portfolios in the Veștea cabinet. Sorin Cîmpeanu was proposed for defence, Monica Anisie for education, and Eduard Mititelu for digital transformation. Their decision to join the government is cited by the new PNL leadership as a direct challenge to the party’s directives.

Party leaders denounce the dissenters

Alexandru Muraru, a PNL leader, posted on Facebook that the day would mark the end of the careers in the party for all who “betrayed” the decisions of Sunday's extraordinary congress.

“Those who were on the Veștea government list and voted last night for this government of opportunism and shamelessness will be excluded from the PNL today. From this moment on, they will no longer be of use to the PSD.”

Interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan, the PNL president, wrote after the failed investiture that the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring had reached its limit.

“The backstage games and betrayals have shown their limits. What is built without principles, without seriousness and without honesty cannot endure.”

Three lawmakers saved by leaving the chamber

At least three liberal MPs managed to avoid expulsion at the eleventh hour. Deputies Alexandru Popa (Brăila) and Alexandru Andrei (Giurgiu) and senator Andrei Teslariu left the plenary hall before the vote on the Veștea cabinet and therefore did not register a formal yes vote. Their names were removed from the exclusion list, although they had initially aligned with the dissident faction. Reports also mention deputy Mihai Culeafă, who likewise walked out, but his status is less consistently cited across sources.

Minority government push continues

Despite the internal crisis, Ilie Bolojan told President Nicușor Dan that the PNL maintains its proposal for a minority government based on a temporary political pact among the main parliamentary parties, including the PSD, to last six months. The president called consultations on Tuesday to resume negotiations for forming a new executive. Bolojan stressed that Romania needs a full-power government urgently, built on “transparency, clear rules and respect for democratic principles.”