Nicolae Ciucă has resigned as president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), shortly after the confirmation of results from the first round of the presidential elections. The politician ranked fifth, securing 8.79% of the votes, a result below the party's expectations.
The announcement was made through a press release in which Ciucă thanked voters and party colleagues for their support during his tenure as PNL leader. "I am stepping down as president of PNL. Traditional parties, even with many programming errors, are the ones that must keep Romania united," Ciuca said.
The liberal leader highlighted PNL's contributions over the past years but acknowledged that mistakes made have impacted voter trust. "The National Liberal Party has the resources to show people all the good it has achieved in recent years. It has proof that investments funded by European money have improved the living standards of many communities. But beyond that, PNL is aware of its mistakes and will fight to the end to ensure Romania remains a free and democratic country", Ciuca said.
The former PNL president encouraged the party's new leadership to continue efforts for reform and modernization. "PNL will not give up! The new leadership will not stand alone, as it has a wonderful army by its side - mayors, county council presidents, local and county councilors, and hundreds of thousands of dedicated members ready to work for the country, no matter how tough it gets", Ciuca added.
Nicolae Ciuca called for unity and a commitment to Romania's Euro-Atlantic alignment, underscoring the values PNL represents: "We must change many things, but two aspects cannot change: our Euro-Atlantic choice and the protection of who we are as Romanians. A faithful people who engage in industry, IT, and agriculture, pursue crafts, possess immense intellectual resources, want to strengthen and elevate local capital, and have never lost hope".
Ciuca's resignation comes less than two years after he took over PNL leadership in April 2022. The decision paves the way for the party's reorganization ahead of future elections.
Nicolae Ciuca joined the National Liberal Party in 2020 after a military career spanning over three decades, during which he served as Chief of the Romanian Army's General Staff. He became a senator for Dolj and held governmental roles, including Minister of National Defense and interim Prime Minister in 2020. In the fall of 2021, he assumed the role of Prime Minister as part of the National Liberal Party - Social Democratic Party - Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (PNL - PSD – UDMR) alliance, becoming the first leader under the rotation agreement between the two main parties.
