The Extraordinary Congress of the National Liberal Party (PNL) convenes on Sunday to decide the party's new leadership structure and elect its president and leadership team, with the current head of the party, Ilie Bolojan, the only candidate to have formally registered.

The Congress, convened on Friday by the Extraordinary National Council, is expected to be attended by 2,500 delegates.

Proceedings are taking place against a backdrop of internal divisions, with two camps emerging within the party: one centred around the current PNL president, Ilie Bolojan, and another around First-Deputy President Adrian Vestea, who was appointed by President Nicusor Dan as Prime Minister-delegate.

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Adrian Vestea conveyed that the Congress is an 'unconstitutional and unlawful demarche,' announcing that he will not run for the party leadership, although he had initially expressed his intention to stand on Thursday, arguing that he did not wish to endorse 'this democratic charade through which dictatorship is being installed within the party.' He argued that the aim is not to clarify matters within the PNL, but to block the Government's investiture, adding that he is considering all statutory and legal avenues to challenge the meeting.

On the other hand, those close to Ilie Bolojan argue that the Congress was organised properly, with the observance of the procedures followed to the letter. PNL MP Robert Sighiartau said that Adrian Vestea had not formally requested in writing that the meeting be postponed.

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Critics of Ilie Bolojan are also challenging the proposed amendments to the party's Statute, which would alter the current leadership structure.

At present, the party's first deputy presidents are Adrian Vestea, Nicoleta Pauliuc and Ciprian Ciucu, while Catalin Predoiu resigned from the position on Thursday.

Adrian Vestea argued that the proposed amendments to the party's Statute are aimed at 'concentrating power' in the hands of Ilie Bolojan and excluding him from the party because he accepted President Nicusor Dan's nomination for the Prime Minister office and thus chose 'to be part of a solution to bring an end to a crisis that is profoundly affecting Romanians.'

Under these circumstances, when the deadline for submitting motions for the PNL leadership race expired, Ilie Bolojan was the only registered candidate. He is standing on the motion called 'Modernisation with Roots' and has proposed the following leadership team: first deputy president - Dan Motreanu; secretary-general - Robert Sighiartau; vice-presidents - Mircea Abrudean, Ioan Popa, Siegfried Muresan, Oana Gheorghiu, Alexandru Muraru, Dragos Pislaru, Florin Roman and Gabriela Horga.

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The PNL's Permanent Bureau, the body due to be elected at Sunday's Congress following the amendment of the party's Statute, will take decisions on the exclusion of PM-designate Adrian Vestea and others who fail to observe party decisions.

On Thursday, the 16 MPs who oppose Bolojan requested the Ilfov Tribunal to suspend decisions adopted by the PNL National Political Bureau on 15 June concerning sanctions against party parliamentarians who would vote in favour of the investiture of the Vestea Government and the court ruled in their favour the same day and ordered the suspension of those National Political Bureau decisions. In response, the PNL announced that it would challenge the Ilfov Tribunal's ruling within the legal deadline and that the party would continue its political activities without impediment, on the basis of its own decisions.

Adrian Vestea was nominated Prime Minister-designate by President Nicusor Dan last Sunday, after Eugen Tomac stepped down. Vestea has not yet submitted the governing programme or the list of ministers to Parliament. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Alina Novaceanu; EN - writing by: Rodica State)