Head of Romania's liberal party resigns after disastrous result in elections

The National Liberal Party - PNL's president Alina Gorghiu announced her resignation on on Monday after the party's disastrous result in the parliamentary elections. Other party leaders also resigned. Their decisions comes after PNL only got about 20% of votes in the parliamentary elections organized in Romania on Sunday, December 11, the figure being much lower than the one they expected, namely close to 30% of the votes, the same as in the elections for the local authorities, in June this year. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) categorically won the elections with over 45% of the votes. In December 2015, the polls positioned PNL first among local political parties with over 40% of the intended vote while PSD only had 36%. “I had a talk with party leaders, and I informed them that there is no other option than that of stepping down from the position of president. It has been an honor for me to be this party's leader for two years. I assure you that this is a strong party that will get over this unwanted result. Moreover, other party leaders will also step down,” Alina Gorghiu said. An interim leadership formula is to be decided during the National Political Bureau on Tuesday, she added. “I will suggest my colleagues to call for the Convention, to select the new leadership as soon as possible.” According to local News.ro, the leaders of PNL county organizations that got scored lower than the party's 20% in the elections are also expected to submit their resignations in the coming days. This would include the heads of PNL organizations in Arges, Bacau, Braila, Buzau, Dambovita, Dolj, Galati, Giurgiu, Gorj, Ialomita, Iaşi, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Satu Mare, Teleorman, and Valcea. In December 2014, Alina Gorghiu became the first woman president in PNL’s history. At that time, she replaced Klaus Iohannis, who resigned as president of PNL to take over his presidential mandate. Gorghiu has been a PNL member since 2002. She is a law graduate and also has a doctorate in law. She worked as a lawyer specialized in insolvencies and as a mediator. She led PNL alongside Vasile Blaga until September this year, when Blaga stepped down from his co-president position after the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) started an investigation against him for conducting an illegal financing scheme for his former party (the Liberal Democratic Party – PDL) in 2009.