PNL to hold new congress in August-September after Bucharest Tribunal suspends June decisions
The National Liberal Party (PNL) will convene a fresh congress in August or September after a Bucharest court provisionally suspended the statute changes and leadership election approved at the party's 21 June congress.
Court suspends June congress decisions
The Bucharest Tribunal suspended the decisions adopted at the PNL's extraordinary congress on 21 June 2026, where the party modified its statute and elected a new leadership. As the decisions are provisionally suspended, PNL will continue to operate under the statute adopted in July 2025. The party leadership held an informal meeting on Thursday, 9 July, and later stated that in its opinion the congress decisions fully respected the spirit and letter of the law.
New congress planned for August-September
Daniel Fenechiu, the leader of the PNL senators, declared in an RFI interview on 10 July that the party can "move forward" and will convene a new National Council and Congress. He said there is already the necessary majority in the National Political Bureau to do so.
There is the necessary majority in the decision-making body which is the National Political Bureau and certainly in the near future another National Council and another Congress will be organized, another Statute will be adopted, which will probably have the same provisions as these, but which will not be so easily vulnerable through court claims.
Fenechiu estimated the new congress could be held in August or September, though it might be organized sooner if circumstances demand urgency. He added that holding it a second time would avoid pressure and allow the party to proceed.
My estimate is that somewhere during August or September. It is my estimate, but it could be, if things demand urgency, it can be organized even sooner.
- Extraordinary congress adopts new statute and elects new leadership.
- Bucharest Tribunal suspends congress decisions.
- Daniel Fenechiu announces plans for new congress.
- Expected date for new PNL congress and statute adoption.
Party will not wait for final court ruling
A merit case and appeal in Romania can last between eight and ten months, and may stretch to 1.5–2 years or more, Fenechiu said. He argued it would be impractical to wait for a definitive judgment. The party's pragmatic path, he explained, is to take decisions within its statutory bodies while the judicial process runs its course.
I believe the pragmatic solution will be to make decisions in our statutory body and let the justice part go on, to try in justice to show that those contesting the decisions have no legal basis and that the courts that issued the suspension rulings applied, in our opinion, the law wrongly.
The PNL will argue in court that the challengers lack a legal basis and that the suspension was a wrongful application of the law.
Parallel government negotiations
During the same interview, Fenechiu also addressed the broader political context. He noted that PNL leader Ilie Bolojan had announced the possibility of an armistice government, with discussions planned in a format involving the four pro-European party leaders who formed the original coalition. PNL, he said, is open to any solution that allows Romania to govern and to adopt urgent measures. Next week, a parliamentary session may attempt to pass the final six laws required for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), unlocking almost 5 billion euros in EU funds.
Next steps and party direction
Following the informal meeting, PNL announced it would analyze solutions to maintain the party's direction in line with the overwhelming vote of its membership at the June congress. With the necessary majority secured in the National Political Bureau, the leadership is moving rapidly to convene the new statutory forums. The party's public message is that the court suspension does not change its course.
