Contenders for PNL leadership wooing support for expectedly tight battle

The two contenders for leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), sitting Chairman Ludovic Orban and Florin Citu, this Saturday made predictions about the result of the vote at the upcoming Congress that will elect the party's leadership, with Orban stating that the score will be tight and Citu - that he has entered the race to win and this will definitely happen, agerpres reports.

Addressing the conference for the election of the PNL Mures County branch leadership, Ludovic Orban congratulated both the winner and his opponent, who obtained three votes less, noting that they fought a beautiful and dramatic competition and that he is happy for the message of party unity and strength they both sent out.

"I will continue my campaign, reaching out to the members of the National Liberal Party. The second phase of the competition, when the contenders will present their motions to each branch, begins after August 20. The motions will be presented before the County Steering Committee, which includes the County Bureau to be elected plus the mayors and the presidents of the local organizations. The motions will be voted on, after which the delegates to the congress are established, and it's them who decide who the Chairman of the National Liberal Party will be," Orban declared, emphasizing his tight bond with the party grassroots.

"I am convinced that the PNL is moving forward, towards even better results. I definitely expect a close score at the leadership convention," Ludovic Orban said.

Prime Minister Florin Citu, who left before the results of the vote were announced, said that this is the moment when the teams for the future electoral competitions are being put together and that he has entered the race for PNL Chairman with the intention of winning.

"In these two months we are electing our leaders for the next battles the National Liberal Party will fight in 2024 and this is the leading lineup we will put forward. Our goals are important, and they do not envisage just 2024, the goal is for us to be at rule for eight years. This is why I am looking for people by my side who understand this goal, which is crystal clear. I know it's a bold target, but if we don't stick to it, we won't be able to modernize Romania. This is the message we conveyed here today. I came to win and I will win, otherwise I wouldn't have entered the race," Florin Citu said.