PM Tariceanu re-elected National Liberal Party president

Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu was re-elected president of the National Liberal Party-PNL at a party congress this weekend, which brought a series of changes at the lower levels of the group’s leadership, including a number of vice-presidents.

Some of those left without a seat at the central leadership of the PNL suggested they might reconsider their position in the Government and the Parliament after the vote.

Tariceanu was re-elected party head with 1194 votes in favour, 61 against and 39 annulled ballots. He said after the vote on Saturday that it was an honour for him to be re-elected president of the group by such a consistent margin.

He has been facing troubles with a substantial group of Liberal politicians who had left the PNL to form their own party, close to Romanian President Traian Basescu, a Democrat and known rival of Tariceanu’s.

“I have a duty: that of trying to lead PNL better than before. I assure you I’ll do my best in this regard”, Tariceanu told party delegates on Saturday, arguing that the overwhelming vote in his favour was a message for the unity of the party”.

But the vote for vice-presidents was not as smooth. The biggest surprise came when Ludovic Orban, who serves in the Bucharest city hall, defeated Bogdan Olteanu, the House of Deputies speaker, as vice-president for communication within the PNL.

And Adrian Cioroianu, a member of the European Parliament, defeated Foreign minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu for the seat of vice-president for European Affairs.

Other PNL vice-presidents elected this weekend are Norica Nicolai, Victor Paul Dobre, Teodor Atanasiu, Eugen Nicolaescu, Varujan Vosganian, Puiu Hasotti, Marian Petrache and Cornel Popa.

But that did not come easy for those who lost their seats in the party leadership. PNL sources told HotNews.ro Bogdan Olteanu might ask for a vote of confidence from the Liberal group in the House of Deputies, to confirm the party support for him as speaker of the House.

And Radu Stroe, who lost the seat of PNL vice-president for administration in favour of Victor Paul Dobre, told a TV station on Sunday that he would resign as secretary-general of the Government withing a fortnight.