National Liberal Party nominates Ludovic Orban its new candidate to Bucharest mayor

Ludovic Orban is the new candidate of the National Liberal Party (PNL) for Bucharest mayor, Catalin Predoiu, the interim head of the party's Bucharest chapter announced on Monday. 

''We have decided to carry on the battle for the Bucharest Municipality in a team formula. (...) The PNL will continue this battle with Ludovic Orban as candidate," Predoiu declared. 

The decision has not been officially endorsed yet by the central leadership of the party. 

"It has been decided that I should be the candidate. (...) Behind my candidacy is a life of work in the service of community. I am ready to go through the next steps - the vote in the PNL Bucharest leadership and the validation by the National Political Bureau of the PNL. I have entered the race for mayor of Bucharest (...) because Bucharest needs someone with a vision," Orban declared in a press conference. 

The former unofficial candidate of the PNL, Cristian Busoi, participated in the press conference alongside Predoiu and Orban. He voiced his support for the new candidate, in the interest of the team, and acknowledged that his successor stands better chances to defeat the Liberals' main rivals in the mayoral race, the Social Democrat Party. AGERPRES