Ecologist Party of Romania
Encyclopedia
The Romanian Ecologist Party was founded by Petre Metanie, a teacher, in 1978 as a political organisation opposed to Nicolae Ceauşescu
and the Romanian Communist Party
's policy of indiscriminate economic growth, without regard for ecological consequences. In the seventies a large number of children were born malformed due to high levels of chemical pollution in the air, water and food. The fauna also suffered enormously due to dams built in the path of the natural migration of fish, and there was damage to populations of wild boar, deer and birds.
Mr Metanie drew the dreaded Securitate
's attention but because his party was not perceived as a threat to Ceausescu's doctrine and because its own members suffered from the incredible level of pollution he wasn't imprisoned for his political activities.
Prior to December 1989, the Romanian Ecologist Party's main activity was to openly criticise the RCP's complete disregard for the environment and to draw attention to its visible consequences. In 1978 Mr Metanie wrote to Radio Free Europe
on the subject, but although his letter was posted from Israel it was not read on the radio.
In December 1989 he took the initiative of legalising the party. The initial response was huge with an overall support of around 25% and locally 75% in the polls. The newly elected leadership fell short of expectations, departing from the democratic idealism and the ecologist materialism infused by its founder Metanie. All the successive leaders were the same instituting a form of abuse of the Romanian election system: the party list nomination.
By June 2007, the party was in disarray but its founder was constantly encouraged by members and sympathisers to show leadership and to take over the leadership of the party he has created.
A meeting took place in Bucharest
in October 2007 after the dismissal of the former president in July and the leadership was reorganised. Currently the party has a temporary leadership commission, with Mr Metanie as honorary leader (a non-executive position) and a congress is due to take place in February 2008 that will set the agenda for the upcoming elections.
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
and the Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
's policy of indiscriminate economic growth, without regard for ecological consequences. In the seventies a large number of children were born malformed due to high levels of chemical pollution in the air, water and food. The fauna also suffered enormously due to dams built in the path of the natural migration of fish, and there was damage to populations of wild boar, deer and birds.
Mr Metanie drew the dreaded Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
's attention but because his party was not perceived as a threat to Ceausescu's doctrine and because its own members suffered from the incredible level of pollution he wasn't imprisoned for his political activities.
Prior to December 1989, the Romanian Ecologist Party's main activity was to openly criticise the RCP's complete disregard for the environment and to draw attention to its visible consequences. In 1978 Mr Metanie wrote to Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
on the subject, but although his letter was posted from Israel it was not read on the radio.
In December 1989 he took the initiative of legalising the party. The initial response was huge with an overall support of around 25% and locally 75% in the polls. The newly elected leadership fell short of expectations, departing from the democratic idealism and the ecologist materialism infused by its founder Metanie. All the successive leaders were the same instituting a form of abuse of the Romanian election system: the party list nomination.
By June 2007, the party was in disarray but its founder was constantly encouraged by members and sympathisers to show leadership and to take over the leadership of the party he has created.
A meeting took place in 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....
in October 2007 after the dismissal of the former president in July and the leadership was reorganised. Currently the party has a temporary leadership commission, with Mr Metanie as honorary leader (a non-executive position) and a congress is due to take place in February 2008 that will set the agenda for the upcoming elections.
See also
- Green party
- Green Party (Romania)Green Party (Romania)The Green Party , often shortened to The Greens is a Romanian political party centred on green politics. It is a member of the European Green Party.-Policies:...
- Green politicsGreen politicsGreen politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
- List of environmental organizations