Romania Opposition Scents its Chance in Govt Crisis

Romania's main opposition centre-right National Liberal Party, PNL, is set to elect a new leader on Saturday, as the ruling Social Democrats face their worst crisis in years, with the party leader entrenched in a power struggle with the Prime Minister.

Several Liberals said they see an opportunity for the party, with the Social Democrats, PSD, weakened by a government crisis that has raised concerns over stability in the country.

However, some analysts say the PNL has its own problems and hardly poses an alternative to the PSD at the moment.

After former PNL leader Klaus Iohannis won the presidency in 2014, defeating former PSD Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the Liberals did not poll nearly as well in the general elections.

Despite expectations that they might do well enough to form a government together with anti-corruption party Save Romania Union, the Liberals only won 20 per cent of the votes in the December 2016 legislative elections.

PNL leader Alina Gorghiu, who had convinced technocratic Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos to support the party, took responsibility for this failure and resigned. She was succeeded by interim PNL president Raluca Turcan.

The party also suffered a blow in June 2016 at the local elections, when their main candidate, Ludovic Orban, who ran for Bucharest Mayor, had to withdraw the last moment because he was called in for a hearing by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, the DNA. Orban was cleared of all charges in January 2017.

The Liberals replaced him with Marian Munteanu, a controversial nationalist who was not even a party member.

After the lack of electoral success in 2016, Saturday's Liberal national congress is set to see a face-off between two candidates: Orban and MEP Cristian...