The Bucharest Tribunal on Wednesday admitted a new lawsuit filed by the anti-Bolojan faction inside the National Liberal Party (PNL) and ordered the suspension of the decisions adopted by the party's Extraordinary Congress of June 21, including the approval of a new Statute and the election of a new leadership.

The ruling is not final, but is enforceable, meaning the effects of the Congress decisions are suspended pending final resolution.

In the operative part of the ruling, the court states that it admits the claim filed against the National Liberal Party. It provisionally suspends the enforcement and effects of the following decisions of the Extraordinary Congress of 21 June 2026 - namely the two Congress decisions numbered 01/2026 and 02/2026, the decision approving the election of the party's leadership pursuant to the 'Deeply-rooted Modernisation' motion, and the decision ratifying the amendment of the PNL Statute adopted by the Extraordinary National Council on June 19 - until the final settlement of case No. 26120/3/2026.

The Tribunal also suspended all subsequent acts adopted on the basis of the Congress decisions, namely 13 decisions of the National Standing Bureau (BPN) issued between June 21 and 23.

The ruling is enforceable by law, with a five-day appeal period.

The case was assigned to Judge Mihaela Luciani, whom PNL argued should have recused herself because she previously worked at the Ministry of Justice while Alina Gorghiu - one of the claimants - was minister. Luciani is one of six judges designated to handle cases involving political parties, a measure contested by PNL. During Wednesday's hearing, PNL's lawyer Valeriu Stoica formally requested her recusal. A different panel examined the request and rejected it, after which Judge Luciani ruled in favor of the anti-Bolojan group.

The claimants argued that the Congress decision reconfirming PNL's refusal to form a coalition with PSD and to vote for the Vestea Government was unlawful; that the decision demanding the resignation of several anti-Bolojan members violated their right to defence; and that the election of the new leadership was illegal because it relied on procedures from a Statute not yet validly approved.

This is the third case won by the anti-Bolojan faction, which includes Monica Anisie, Andrei Baciu, Lucian Bode, Sorin Cimpeanu, Alina Gorghiu, Nicoleta Pauliuc, Ionut Stroe, Adrian Vestea and Hubert Thuma.

Earlier rulings suspended are as follows: on 18 June - BPN decisions sanctioning Liberal MPs who might vote for the Vestea Cabinet; on July 1, the Extraordinary National Council's decision to convene the June 21 Congress.

The June 21 Congress re-elected Ilie Bolojan as PNL Chairman and adopted two decisions: reconfirming the party's refusal to form a coalition with PSD and mandating the exclusion of members who would support such a government; and requesting the resignation of key anti-Bolojan figures, with exclusion procedures to follow if they did not comply.

The Congress also approved amendments to the PNL Statute, introducing motions for leadership candidacies, establishing the National Standing Bureau as the main leadership structure, and strengthening party discipline. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eusebi Manolache; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)

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