Hubert Thuma attacks Ilie Bolojan after PNL expulsion, compares purge to communist purges and refuses to resign

Expulsion after government vote

Hubert Thuma, president of the Ilfov County Council and leader of the PNL's Ilfov branch, was expelled from the National Liberal Party on Tuesday evening. The decision was taken during a meeting of the party's National Permanent Bureau that began at 18:00, following a weekend congress that confirmed Ilie Bolojan's leadership. Thuma is among at least 16 parliamentarians and three county council presidents targeted for supporting the Veștea cabinet, which was rejected by Parliament earlier that day.

Today I was kicked out of the party where I've won every mandate for 25 years, by vote. Not by appointment, not by connections, but by vote. Unlike Mr. Bolojan, who was prefect through appointment, secretary general of the Government through appointment, serving on boards through appointment, I have never held a politically appointed position.

Communist comparison and attack on Bolojan's legitimacy

In a Facebook post published about an hour after the leadership meeting started, Thuma drew a direct comparison between the ongoing expulsions and the political purges of the communist era. He argued that the measures instilled fear rather than delivering the reform Bolojan had promised.

The political purges during communism were a nightmare that Romania paid for with decades of suffering. Everything ended in December '89. … Someone should tell Mr. Bolojan that that regime fell because what he calls reform looks surprisingly like fear.

Thuma contrasted his own electoral mandate with what he described as Bolojan's career built on political appointments, including roles as prefect, secretary general of the government, and board memberships. He framed the expulsion as an attack on democratically elected voices rather than a legitimate organisational decision.

Legal defiance and local support

Thuma insisted he would not resign from any office and would use every legal avenue to challenge the expulsion. He cited party statutes stating that the Ilfov County Political Bureau must request his resignation, and claimed he still enjoys the full backing of that local structure.

As branch president, my resignation must be requested by the Ilfov County Political Bureau. Today, in PNL Ilfov, I have the support of every colleague with whom I built this branch. That is why I have not resigned and will not do so. I will use all legal means to prevent an abuse from dressing itself up as procedure.

PSD double standard and party decline

Thuma also accused Bolojan of hypocrisy. While the expelled members were sanctioned for allegedly being too close to the Social Democrats (PSD), Thuma noted that Bolojan stated after consultations at Cotroceni Palace that he would support a minority government built around the PSD.

We were kicked out of PNL because supposedly we were too close to PSD. Meanwhile, Mr. Bolojan declares he would support a minority government built around PSD. So the question is simple: Who are the actual PSD-ists in PNL?

Thuma predicted the purge would weaken the party, driving its support from 15% to 10% and making it as marginal as the USR. The broad sweep of expulsions (16 parliamentarians and several local leaders) suggests a deep internal fracture that will shape the party's ability to participate in a new government.

Timeline of the crisis

The rift has escalated rapidly since Sunday's congress. The key moments, all within three days, show how the leadership moved against dissenters after the failed cabinet vote.