UPDATE The Liberal Congress elected a new party leader in the person of Crin Antonescu. According to official results, Antonescu won 873 votes while his opponent, former PM Liberal Calin Popescu Tariceanu received only 546 votes. Of a total of 1,431 of votes, 12 were declared void.

However, today's congress was monopolized by Liberal businessman Dinu Patriciu who delayed the beginning of the Congress with 30 minutes.Today's atmosphere was tense, with on going negotiations, promises and fully fledged electoral campaigns over the corners and corridors. Both camps tried to manipulate delegates through challenging declarations. Calin Popescu Tariceanu's supporters portrayed a forced clam and declared that the battle is close.

On the other side, Crin Antonescu is considered the winner by his camp. Nonetheless, the main figure of today's congress was Liberal businessman Dinu Patriciu, surrounded by ecstatic delegates who were eager to take some photos and shake his hand.