It's official: Transports minister Ludovic Orban to run as Liberal candidate for Bucharest mayor seat

Romanian Transports minister Ludovic Orban was approved by the Liberal Party (PNL) leadership on Monday to be the party’s candidate for the seat of Bucharest mayor in local elections later this spring. Orban said on the occasion that he has been determined to run for the job since as early as January 2005, shortly after a coalition of Liberals and now-rivals Democrats came to power.

Orban said he and his party candidates for the local council would be favored by Bucharest citizens because they had enough with the term of incumbent Democratic payor Adriean Videanu. Videanu came to office on the heels of President Traian Nasescu, who until 2004 served as Bucharest mayor.

Liberal leaders Bogdan Olteanu and Dan Modreanu would be in charge with the political and organizational aspects of the electoral campaign respectively.