Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, (also Democratic Alliance of Hungarians
in Romania; ) is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania.
Officially organised as a political alliance (not as a party), UDMR nevertheless acts as one of the main parties of Romania
. From 1996 until the 2008 Romanian legislative elections
, UDMR was a member or supporter of every government. After the 2008 elections, UDMR entered opposition, but at the end of 2009 it became once again a member of the government coalition.
UDMR aims to represent the Magyar (ethnic Hungarian) community of Romania, which is one of the largest national minorities
in Europe
(1,431,807 citizens, according to the 2002 census). In national elections, the union consistently obtains around 6% of the votes, which roughly corresponds to the percentage of ethnic Hungarian voters. From 1996 until the 2008 Romanian legislative elections
, UDMR was part of all of Romania's governing coalitions, although not always a formal partner in government.
in the (Romanian Revolution of 1989
), to represent in public the interests of the Hungarian community in Romania. Its founder was the writer Géza Domokos.
UDMR obtained consistent results during the 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 elections, gaining representation in both houses of the Parliament. Until 1996, the UDMR acted in opposition. From 1996 the party governed in a coalition with the Romanian Democratic Convention
(Convenţia Democrată Română, CDR)—a wide alliance that won the elections that year—and obtained some positions in the government of Victor Ciorbea
.
Four years later, the formerly-in-opposition Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSD) won the 2000 elections. Although UDMR did not join the new government as a coalition partner, it did sign a series of annual contracts with the PSD in which the PSD pledged to implement certain legal rights for the Hungarian minority community in return for UDMR's support in parliament.
In the 2004 elections
, the UDMR made an alliance to back Adrian Năstase
of the Social Democratic Party, who was the favourite to win the presidential elections, but the surprise victory of Traian Băsescu
rocked the Romanian political spectrum. After negotiations, the UDMR, together with the Romanian Humanist Party (now the Conservative Party
), defected from the PSD alliance and pledged to form a coalition with the Justice and Truth Alliance. The UDMR obtained positions in the government.
After the 2008 Romanian legislative elections
UDMR entered in opposition.
(EPP). The purpose of the UDMR is to obtain regional autonomy for ethnic Hungarians, according to its then-leader, Béla Markó, who declared: "The goal of the UDMR is the territorial autonomy which we deserve". In 2006, the leaders of the UDMR voted in favor of territorial autonomy for the Székely Land
within Romania, favoring decentralization of the territories in Romania to win more power for local authorities and encourage better distribution of wealth. According to a 2007 statement by Markó, the goal of the UDMR is to "recover the country lost in 1918", including "the houses, the woods, the lands, and the flag".
Various specific goals, gradually detailed during the years, include:
UDMR also strongly supports:
UDMR is strongly in favor of cultural autonomy, (on an individual basis). UDMR leaders have claimed on several occasions that they believe local autonomy (decentralization) to be the most appropriate and efficient form of self-government
. However, UDMR has also stated that it wishes to achieve this goal only through a dialogue and consensus with the Romanian majority, and based on proven Western Europe
an models.
UDMR has been criticised on several occasions for its lack of specific doctrine. The main argument for preserving the current structure is that if it split up into smaller fractions of different ideological orientations, it would be impossible for the Hungarian community to obtain more seats in the Parliament
(a seat is allotted to each minority group by default) due to the electoral threshold of 5%.
Several voices from within the UDMR and the Hungarian community have criticised it for being too moderate, and making too many compromises in political treaties with other Romanian parties. The Hungarian Civic Alliance
split from UDMR, aiming to form a separate, more radical, political entity. However, during the 2004 elections, UDMR proved to still have the support of the overwhelming majority of Hungarians. Disputes with this fraction-group led to the departure of László Tőkés
(who was in support of the break-away group) from the position of honorary president.
, who is also a senator
in the Romanian Parliament
, reportedly said: "I do not represent Romania [in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
]. I am the head of the Romanian Delegation, elected by 10 members who represented Romania at a parliamentary level," causing some controversy within Romania regarding the loyalty of Frunda to the Romanian state. Emil Boc
, the Mayor of Cluj-Napoca
and leader of Democratic Party, asked György Frunda to be loyal to Romania.
Frunda later defined the way in which he was quoted by the press as "an injustice", and declared: "I have represented and will always represent my country, with dignity and in accordance with my best knowledge. But I have said, and it is true, that I did not draft this report as a Romanian senator, I have drafted it through appointment and with a mandate from the Council of Europe's Judicial Committee [...]".
The organization's president is Culture Minister Hunor Kelemen
, elected at a party congress in 2011. Béla Markó
, a writer, had held the position from 1993. He in turn was preceded by founding president Géza Domokos, in office from 1990 to 1993.
UDMR is structured into 22 territorial organizations, covering all regions of Transylvania
and the capital Bucharest
, as well as into platforms representing different political ideologies.
It has several associated partners and groups representing the civil society, or the social, scientific, artistic or professional domains. As decision-making bodies, UDMR operates a Council of Representatives, a Congress, and an Operative Council.
, these four all continue to hold these positions.
UDMR sent 10 senators and 22 deputies to the Romanian Parliament, accounting for (respectively) 7.3% and 6.6% of the seats. 186 mayors, 250 deputy mayors, 2481 local councilors and 112 county councilors were named by UDMR, and claim as its major accomplishment in that election the fact that UDMR mayors were elected in some cities where Hungarians are in the minority, such as Satu Mare, Reghin, Marghita
and Jimbolia
. This signals an end to ethnicity-based voting, and proves that UDMR has some support and acceptance within the ethnic Romanian majority.
Some of the main accomplishments of UDMR since 1989 concerning the Hungarian minority have been:
Alliance of Hungarians
The Alliance of Hungarians, or Magyarok Szövetsége, is a political power which represents true Hungarian values in Hungary. In the 2006 Hungarian parliamentary election, the Alliance of Hungarians could not run to form a Hungarian coalition....
in Romania; ) is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania.
Officially organised as a political alliance (not as a party), UDMR nevertheless acts as one of the main parties of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. From 1996 until the 2008 Romanian legislative elections
Romanian legislative election, 2008
Legislative elections were held in Romania on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party won a fractionally higher vote share.-Electoral System:President Traian Băsescu...
, UDMR was a member or supporter of every government. After the 2008 elections, UDMR entered opposition, but at the end of 2009 it became once again a member of the government coalition.
Status
UDMR is not a legally registered political party, but takes part in elections under art. 4(2) of the Law 68/1992 which assimilates organizations representing national minorities to political parties from an electoral point of view. UDMR is represented in both houses of the Romanian Parliament since its formation. UDMR is classified as a "union" or "alliance", which incorporates several platforms of different ideologies.UDMR aims to represent the Magyar (ethnic Hungarian) community of Romania, which is one of the largest national minorities
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(1,431,807 citizens, according to the 2002 census). In national elections, the union consistently obtains around 6% of the votes, which roughly corresponds to the percentage of ethnic Hungarian voters. From 1996 until the 2008 Romanian legislative elections
Romanian legislative election, 2008
Legislative elections were held in Romania on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party won a fractionally higher vote share.-Electoral System:President Traian Băsescu...
, UDMR was part of all of Romania's governing coalitions, although not always a formal partner in government.
History
UDMR was founded December 25, 1989, immediately after the fall of the Communist dictatorshipCommunist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
in the (Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
), to represent in public the interests of the Hungarian community in Romania. Its founder was the writer Géza Domokos.
UDMR obtained consistent results during the 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 elections, gaining representation in both houses of the Parliament. Until 1996, the UDMR acted in opposition. From 1996 the party governed in a coalition with the Romanian Democratic Convention
Romanian Democratic Convention
The Romanian Democratic Convention was an electoral alliance of several political parties of Romania, active from early 1992 until 2000....
(Convenţia Democrată Română, CDR)—a wide alliance that won the elections that year—and obtained some positions in the government of Victor Ciorbea
Victor Ciorbea
Victor Ciorbea is a Romanian politician. He was the Mayor of Bucharest in 1996-1997 and, after his resignation from office, Prime Minister of Romania from 12 December 1996 to 30 March 1998.-Biography:...
.
Four years later, the formerly-in-opposition Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSD) won the 2000 elections. Although UDMR did not join the new government as a coalition partner, it did sign a series of annual contracts with the PSD in which the PSD pledged to implement certain legal rights for the Hungarian minority community in return for UDMR's support in parliament.
In the 2004 elections
Romanian presidential election, 2004
A presidential election was held in Romania on November 28, 2004. 12 candidates competed for the office. As no candidate won more than 50% of the votes, a run-off was held on December 12, 2004, between the two leading candidates: prime minister Adrian Năstase of the ruling Social Democratic Party...
, the UDMR made an alliance to back Adrian Năstase
Adrian Nastase
Adrian Năstase is a Romanian politician who was the Prime Minister of Romania from December 2000 to December 2004.He competed as the Social Democratic Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by centre-right Justice and Truth Alliance candidate Traian Băsescu.He was...
of the Social Democratic Party, who was the favourite to win the presidential elections, but the surprise victory of Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
rocked the Romanian political spectrum. After negotiations, the UDMR, together with the Romanian Humanist Party (now the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (Romania)
The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition...
), defected from the PSD alliance and pledged to form a coalition with the Justice and Truth Alliance. The UDMR obtained positions in the government.
After the 2008 Romanian legislative elections
Romanian legislative election, 2008
Legislative elections were held in Romania on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party won a fractionally higher vote share.-Electoral System:President Traian Băsescu...
UDMR entered in opposition.
Doctrine
As an ethnic minority party representing Romanian Magyars the UDMR, above all, concerns itself with Hungarian minority rights, including cultural and territorial autonomy on an ethnic basis. To advance its goals, UDMR participated in or supported all the governments of Romania from 1996 on, regardless of their political color. UDMR is a member of the European People's PartyEuropean People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP). The purpose of the UDMR is to obtain regional autonomy for ethnic Hungarians, according to its then-leader, Béla Markó, who declared: "The goal of the UDMR is the territorial autonomy which we deserve". In 2006, the leaders of the UDMR voted in favor of territorial autonomy for the Székely Land
Székely Land
The Székely Land or Szekler Land refers to the territories inhabited mainly by the Székely, a Hungarian-speaking ethnic group from eastern Transylvania...
within Romania, favoring decentralization of the territories in Romania to win more power for local authorities and encourage better distribution of wealth. According to a 2007 statement by Markó, the goal of the UDMR is to "recover the country lost in 1918", including "the houses, the woods, the lands, and the flag".
Various specific goals, gradually detailed during the years, include:
- Free use of mother tongue in private and public life, as well as in administration and justice.
- Development of a native-language school system, with all levels and all types of instruction.
- Ethnic-based local autonomy
UDMR also strongly supports:
- Integration of Romania into European structures.
- DecentralizationDecentralization__FORCETOC__Decentralization or decentralisation is the process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens. It includes the dispersal of administration or governance in sectors or areas like engineering, management science, political science, political economy,...
of administration. - Consolidation of the market economyMarket economyA market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...
.
UDMR is strongly in favor of cultural autonomy, (on an individual basis). UDMR leaders have claimed on several occasions that they believe local autonomy (decentralization) to be the most appropriate and efficient form of self-government
Self-governance
Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization.It may refer to personal conduct or family units but more commonly refers to larger scale activities, i.e., professions, industry bodies, religions and political units , up to and including autonomous regions and...
. However, UDMR has also stated that it wishes to achieve this goal only through a dialogue and consensus with the Romanian majority, and based on proven Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an models.
UDMR has been criticised on several occasions for its lack of specific doctrine. The main argument for preserving the current structure is that if it split up into smaller fractions of different ideological orientations, it would be impossible for the Hungarian community to obtain more seats in the Parliament
Parliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
(a seat is allotted to each minority group by default) due to the electoral threshold of 5%.
Several voices from within the UDMR and the Hungarian community have criticised it for being too moderate, and making too many compromises in political treaties with other Romanian parties. The Hungarian Civic Alliance
Hungarian Civic Alliance
Hungarian Civic Alliance can refer to:* Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Union* Hungarian Civic Alliance * Hungarian Civic Party , formerly the Hungarian Civic Alliance...
split from UDMR, aiming to form a separate, more radical, political entity. However, during the 2004 elections, UDMR proved to still have the support of the overwhelming majority of Hungarians. Disputes with this fraction-group led to the departure of László Tőkés
László Tokés
László Tőkés is a Romanian politician of Hungarian ethnicity, currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament and Vice President of the European Parliament ....
(who was in support of the break-away group) from the position of honorary president.
2006 György Frunda controversy
An important leader of UDMR, György FrundaGyörgy Frunda
György Frunda is a Romanian jurist, politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania , he has been a member of the Romanian Senate for Mureş County since 1992, and was twice the UDMR's candidate for the office of Romanian President...
, who is also a senator
Senate of Romania
The Senate of Romania is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 137 seats , to which members are elected by direct popular vote, using Mixed member proportional representation in 42 electoral districts , to serve four-year terms.-Former location:After the Romanian...
in the Romanian Parliament
Parliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
, reportedly said: "I do not represent Romania [in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
]. I am the head of the Romanian Delegation, elected by 10 members who represented Romania at a parliamentary level," causing some controversy within Romania regarding the loyalty of Frunda to the Romanian state. Emil Boc
Emil Boc
Emil Boc is the Prime Minister of Romania, having served since December 2008. In June 2004, he was elected Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania. Boc is also the president of the Democratic Liberal Party, who designated him as Prime Minister in 2008. On October 13, 2009, his...
, the Mayor of Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
and leader of Democratic Party, asked György Frunda to be loyal to Romania.
Frunda later defined the way in which he was quoted by the press as "an injustice", and declared: "I have represented and will always represent my country, with dignity and in accordance with my best knowledge. But I have said, and it is true, that I did not draft this report as a Romanian senator, I have drafted it through appointment and with a mandate from the Council of Europe's Judicial Committee [...]".
Structure
Hunor Kelemen
Hunor Kelemen is a Romanian politician and Hungarian language writer. The current president of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania , he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies since 2000, and was nominated as his party's candidate for the 2009 presidential election,...
, elected at a party congress in 2011. Béla Markó
Béla Markó
Béla Markó is a Romanian politician and writer of Hungarian ethnicity. The former leader of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania , he is also the Deputy Premier in the Emil Boc government ; he had also been Minister of State in the Tăriceanu cabinet between 2004 and 2007, in charge of...
, a writer, had held the position from 1993. He in turn was preceded by founding president Géza Domokos, in office from 1990 to 1993.
UDMR is structured into 22 territorial organizations, covering all regions of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
and the capital Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, as well as into platforms representing different political ideologies.
It has several associated partners and groups representing the civil society, or the social, scientific, artistic or professional domains. As decision-making bodies, UDMR operates a Council of Representatives, a Congress, and an Operative Council.
Achievements
After the Government's restructuring in Spring 2007 UDMR designated the following members of the government, in the Tăriceanu II cabinet (Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu is the prime minister):- Béla MarkóBéla MarkóBéla Markó is a Romanian politician and writer of Hungarian ethnicity. The former leader of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania , he is also the Deputy Premier in the Emil Boc government ; he had also been Minister of State in the Tăriceanu cabinet between 2004 and 2007, in charge of...
– Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Education, Culture and European Integration - Zsolt NagyZsolt NagyZsolt Nagy is a Romanian politician of Hungarian ethnicity. Since December 2004, he is the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, but he was suspended on June 11, 2007 due to an investigation regarding some strategic privatisations...
– Minister for Communications and Information Technology - László BorbélyLászló BorbélyLászló Borbély is a Romanian economist and politician. A member of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania , he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Mureş County since 2000, having previously served there from 1990 to 1996...
– Minister for Development, Public Works and Housing - Attila Korodi – Minister for Environment
, these four all continue to hold these positions.
UDMR sent 10 senators and 22 deputies to the Romanian Parliament, accounting for (respectively) 7.3% and 6.6% of the seats. 186 mayors, 250 deputy mayors, 2481 local councilors and 112 county councilors were named by UDMR, and claim as its major accomplishment in that election the fact that UDMR mayors were elected in some cities where Hungarians are in the minority, such as Satu Mare, Reghin, Marghita
Marghita
Marghita is a city in Bihor County, Romania. It administers two villages, Cheţ and Ghenetea .-History:The name appears to be derived from the name "Margit" , Saint Margaret the patron of a local church. The first time it was used in a document was in 1216...
and Jimbolia
Jimbolia
Jimbolia is a town in Timiş county, Romania. In 2004, it had a population of 11,605.-History:The earliest record of a community in this location is a place identified as Chumbul in a papal tax record in 1333. This place came under Turkish administration in 1552. As a result of the Treaty of...
. This signals an end to ethnicity-based voting, and proves that UDMR has some support and acceptance within the ethnic Romanian majority.
Some of the main accomplishments of UDMR since 1989 concerning the Hungarian minority have been:
- developments in the educational system, including reclaiming for Hungarian-language education some (though not all) schools that were transformed during the Communist regime.
- the law that allowed partial restitution of real estate confiscated during the Communist regime.
- a modification of the administrative law, allowing for the use of Hungarian names of towns and villages as well as Romanian names (on public signs and indicators) where Hungarians live in numbers larger than 20%.