Antonescu wins second term as head of Romania's Liberal party

10/03/2010

The National Liberal Party, the second-largest opposition party in Romania, keeps Crin Antonescu at its helm. He beat rival Ludovic Orban by a landslide, 986 to 357.

By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest -- 10/03/10

Liberal leader Crin Antonescu scored a clear victory Saturday (March 6th) at the National Liberal Party congress. [Getty images]

Crin Antonescu, the National Liberal Party (PNL) candidate in Romania's presidential elections last year, won another term as party chief Saturday (March 6th) during the party congress. He walloped former vice chairman Ludovic Orban, while a third candidate, Viorel Catarama, withdrew.

Antonescu's ultimate goal is to win the Romanian presidency for his party and its liberal agenda.

He is working to score at least 30% of the votes in this year's local and parliamentary elections, making the PNL the ruling party. The liberals came third in the 2008 elections, winning just over 15% of the votes, or 95 seats in the bicameral parliament.

"It is a moment of overwhelming importance," Antonescu said after he was officially reconfirmed as party chairman. "I call on all those who voted for us, who hope, and who expect a solution from us, to be confident" of taking the country's top office.

"I am convinced," Antonescu said, that "if every liberal in this country, from the president to the 100,000 liberals in every corner will know how to feel, live and hope in the communities they belong to, we will prevail at the end of this road."

Victor Ponta, head of the Social Democratic Party said he was "congratulating Crin Antonescu, but also Ludovic Orban". He noted that it is important for groups such as his "to represent the right-wing ideas in Romania ... there is no doubt about it; we shall be partners for defending democracy in parliament".

Before the presidential elections, Antonescu made it clear that if he scored below a certain threshold, he would resign as leader, a post he has held since March 2009. After winning 20% of votes in the first round, he secured his position.

To ensure victory, Antonescu devised with a new voting system in the party congress, consisting of votes per team as opposed to an individual count. Each candidate for party chief would bring his own team of collaborators.

The voting system essentially excluded Orban from any leading position.

The so-called "list vote" was approved by an overwhelming majority of liberal delegates on Friday, the first day of the congress. Following the first day's vote, one liberal lawmaker announced his resignation from the party ranks, denouncing what he called Antonescu's attempts to set up an "enlightened absolutism".

The PNL was founded in 1875 and has played a crucial role in Romania's history. The party's activities were suspended by the communist regime in 1947, but were resurrected after the 1989 revolution.