Nicolae Ciucă, the president of the National Liberal Party and head of the Romanian Senate, is increasingly looking like the party’s pick for the presidency. 

Ciucă, a former general in the Romanian army and an ally of current president Klaus Iohannis, also from PNL, is featured on dozens of billboards across the country. In parallel, a social media campaign seeks to promote the party leader. 

Nicolae Ciucă repeatedly stated that PNL should have its own presidential candidate and that he is willing to run for the highest office in the state, according to G4Media.

In the videos posted on Facebook, one of the most widely used social media platforms in the country, Ciucă highlights his relationship with his family and his military background. The latest video explicitly references the presidential role. "Romanians would choose someone for the position of president if they meet at least the following criteria: love their country, have served the people, and remember their mission in that role," says Nicolae Ciucă in the recording. 

Other clips refer to the values promoted by Nicolae Ciucă: national identity, the military, the church, traditions and customs, and family. These are conservative messages, similar to those consistently promoted by both the PSD and AUR. 

"I chose a military career when I was young, at 14. I believe this is my mission: to work with people and for people. The military and the church are two institutions that are part of our nation's fabric, and it's important not to lose faith in them. What I believe we should leave as a legacy for future generations is normality,” Ciucă says in another video.

Alongside the online campaign, dozens of large billboards with Nicolae Ciucă's image have appeared along highways across the country. In these billboards, Ciucă promotes values such as family and faith. The billboards show Ciucă alone, without his image being attached to other PNL candidates or leaders.

Earlier this year, MEP Rareș Bogdan, the party's first vice president, said that PNL’s internal regulations clearly state that the PNL president is the candidate for the presidency. "He has no choice because we will force him; it's simple. I will be there every hour and every day to make sure he accepts the candidacy. So, he doesn't really have a choice because when the party demands it, you can't do much about it," Rareș Bogdan said, cited by Digi24.

Romania’s upcoming presidential elections will be held between September and November of this year. So far, none of the major parties have announced their presidential candidate, and nominations are expected to occur immediately after the local and European parliamentary elections on June 9. 

Nicolae Ciucă has been the PNL president since 2022 when he was endorsed by Klaus Iohannis for the leadership over Florin Cîțu.

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(Photo: Gov.ro)

radu@romania-insider.com