Péter Eckstein-Kovács
Encyclopedia
Péter Eckstein-Kovács is a Romania
n lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
(UDMR), he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
for Cluj County
from 1990 to 1992 and a member of the Cluj-Napoca
city council from 1992 to 1996. That year, he was elected to the Romanian Senate
, where he served until 2008, except for a stint as Minister-Delegate for National Minorities in the Radu Vasile
cabinet (1999) and a break until he was elected again in November 2000.
He and his wife have three children.
and studied Law at the city's Babeş-Bolyai University
from 1975 to 1980. From 1980 to 1981, he was a legal adviser in Miercurea-Ciuc
, and since 1981 he has worked as a lawyer there and in Cluj-Napoca. He states that he was not a member of the Romanian Communist Party
and did not collaborate with the Securitate
.
Following the 1989 Revolution
, Eckstein-Kovács joined the UDMR as a founding member and represented it in the Chamber from 1990 to 1992. From that year until 1996, he was on the Cluj-Napoca city council, after which he was elected to the Senate, also for Cluj County. In January 1999, following the resignation of György Tokay, he was appointed Minister-Delegate for National Minorities in Radu Vasile
's cabinet, serving until the cabinet fell that December. He was elected to the Senate again in November 2000, serving until 2008. While there, his priorities included judicial reform and fighting corruption, as well as the environment and human rights. He lost his seat at the 2008 election
to the Democratic Liberal
candidate Şerban Rădulescu. In January 2009, President
Traian Băsescu
named Eckstein to the newly-created post of Presidential adviser for minorities, an office the creation of which the UDMR had called for since 1990. Eckstein was the only member of his party to vote against the President's 2007 impeachment
, a position he reversed some months later, during a crisis over the naming of the Justice Minister. In 2011, following the retirement of Béla Markó
, he was one of three candidates who ran to become leader of the UDMR, finishing in second place with 22% of the vote and losing to Hunor Kelemen
.
In the Chamber, Eckstein-Kovács was part of the Human Rights, Religious Affairs and Minorities Committee; in his first Senate term, he was on the equivalent committee in that body, as well as on the Judicial Nomination, Discipline, Immunity and Validation Committee. He also sat on that committee from 2000 to 2004 and headed it from 2004 to March 2008, when he resigned as chairman because his UDMR colleagues did not vote for National Integrity Agency legislation as sponsored by the government. He co-authored a number of legislative proposals and is a founding member of several civic associations. Eckstein has sometimes had an uneasy relationship with the rest of his party, for instance accusing it of being Romania's most misogynistic and calling for serious internal reforms. He heads the UDMR's liberal platform. Controversially, his liberal stance extends to advocating registered partnerships allowing unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples a number of rights, a step for which he publicly announced his support in February 2008.
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...
n lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania....
(UDMR), he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
for Cluj County
Cluj County
Cluj ; is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Cluj-Napoca.-Demographics:In 2007, it had a population of 692,316 and a population density of 104/km².*Romanians – 80%*Hungarians – 17.5%*Roma – 2.5%-Geography:...
from 1990 to 1992 and a member of the 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...
city council from 1992 to 1996. That year, he was elected to the Romanian Senate
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...
, where he served until 2008, except for a stint as Minister-Delegate for National Minorities in the Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile is a Romanian politician, historian and poet.-Education and Professional Activity:*1967 - Graduate, with exceptional results, of the Faculty of History - University of Bucharest...
cabinet (1999) and a break until he was elected again in November 2000.
He and his wife have three children.
Biography
He was born to ethnic Hungarian parents in ClujCluj-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 studied Law at the city's Babeş-Bolyai University
Babes-Bolyai University
The Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca is an university in Romania. With almost 50,000 students, the university offers 105 specialisations, of which there are 105 in Romanian, 67 in Hungarian, 17 in German, and 5 in English...
from 1975 to 1980. From 1980 to 1981, he was a legal adviser in Miercurea-Ciuc
Miercurea-Ciuc
Miercurea-Ciuc is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is situated in the Olt River valley.The city administers three villages:* Ciba / Csiba...
, and since 1981 he has worked as a lawyer there and in Cluj-Napoca. He states that he was not a member of 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...
and did not collaborate with the 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...
.
Following the 1989 Revolution
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...
, Eckstein-Kovács joined the UDMR as a founding member and represented it in the Chamber from 1990 to 1992. From that year until 1996, he was on the Cluj-Napoca city council, after which he was elected to the Senate, also for Cluj County. In January 1999, following the resignation of György Tokay, he was appointed Minister-Delegate for National Minorities in Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile is a Romanian politician, historian and poet.-Education and Professional Activity:*1967 - Graduate, with exceptional results, of the Faculty of History - University of Bucharest...
's cabinet, serving until the cabinet fell that December. He was elected to the Senate again in November 2000, serving until 2008. While there, his priorities included judicial reform and fighting corruption, as well as the environment and human rights. He lost his seat at the 2008 election
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...
to the Democratic Liberal
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
candidate Şerban Rădulescu. In January 2009, President
President of Romania
The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
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...
named Eckstein to the newly-created post of Presidential adviser for minorities, an office the creation of which the UDMR had called for since 1990. Eckstein was the only member of his party to vote against the President's 2007 impeachment
Romanian presidential impeachment referendum, 2007
The Romanian presidential impeachment referendum of 2007 was conducted in order to determine whether the president of Romania Traian Băsescu should be forced to step down.On April 19, 2007 the Romanian parliament suspended Băsescu...
, a position he reversed some months later, during a crisis over the naming of the Justice Minister. In 2011, following the retirement of 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...
, he was one of three candidates who ran to become leader of the UDMR, finishing in second place with 22% of the vote and losing to Hunor Kelemen
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,...
.
In the Chamber, Eckstein-Kovács was part of the Human Rights, Religious Affairs and Minorities Committee; in his first Senate term, he was on the equivalent committee in that body, as well as on the Judicial Nomination, Discipline, Immunity and Validation Committee. He also sat on that committee from 2000 to 2004 and headed it from 2004 to March 2008, when he resigned as chairman because his UDMR colleagues did not vote for National Integrity Agency legislation as sponsored by the government. He co-authored a number of legislative proposals and is a founding member of several civic associations. Eckstein has sometimes had an uneasy relationship with the rest of his party, for instance accusing it of being Romania's most misogynistic and calling for serious internal reforms. He heads the UDMR's liberal platform. Controversially, his liberal stance extends to advocating registered partnerships allowing unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples a number of rights, a step for which he publicly announced his support in February 2008.