MINELRES: Romania: Bulletin DIVERS on Ethnic Minorities - 43 (126)/2004

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Divers Bulletin no. 43 (126) / December 6, 2004

News

     HUNGARY CITIZENSHIP VOTE "INSANITY"

     REESTABLISHMENT OF EMANUIL GOJDU�S FUNERARY MONUMENT

     PREMIERE IN HARGHITA � ROMA GET A SEAT OF DEPUTY


News

HUNGARY CITIZENSHIP VOTE "INSANITY"

BUCHAREST/BUDAPEST � Romania's prime minister, facing an election
run-off on Dec. 12, attacked Hungary's
"insane" plans to grant citizenship to ethnic Hungarians abroad, in
comments sure to appeal to Romanian nationalists, related Reuters. "This
is an insanity. That's an idea rather belonging to the 19th century,"
said Adrian Nastase, whose country has a substantial Hungarian minority.
He was speaking in Alba Iulia in Transylvania after celebrating
Romania's national day on Wednesday. 
Nastase, from the ex-communist Social Democrat Party, is facing moderate
Traian Basescu in the presidential poll and needs to appeal to at least
part of the Romanian nationalist vote if he is to win the Dec. 12
run-off. Hungarians will vote on Sunday in a referendum on whether to
grant citizenship to up to 5 million ethnic Hungarians living outside
the country, of which around half live in Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and
Ukraine. 
The issue of citizenship is especially sensitive for Romania, as nearly
1.5 million ethnic Hungarians live there, most of them in Transylvania,
which both Romania and Hungary see as their spiritual home. Alba Iulia
itself is deeply symbolic. It is the site where on Dec. 1 1918, after
World War One, Romania declared its modern boundaries and said
Transylvania should belong to Romania and not Hungary. 
Nastase's comments were criticised by Hungarian Foreign Minister Ferenc
Somogyi, who told Hungarian Klub Radio: "(This was) a rather unusual,
angry statement." But Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany is also
damning about the referendum, saying it is a "populist" backward-looking
move. The referendum is backed by Hungary's rightwing Fidesz opposition. 
The Hungarian political party in Romania, the Hungarian Democratic
Union, said it was not upset by Nastase's remarks and would likely
continue to support his bloc in parliament. It was in coalition with
Nastase's last government and backs a "yes" vote for Hungarian
citizenship. "We're not offended by Nastase's statements nor by Geoana's
letter," party executive vice-president Laszlo Borbely said. Together,
the two parties would have 154 out of 332 lower parliament seats and
would need to get support from most of 18 other representatives of
various ethnic minorities to form a government.
Earlier, Hungary's Foreign Ministry said it had received a letter from
Romania's Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana saying ethnic Hungarians would
have to renounce Romanian citizenship if they chose Hungarian
citizenship. "Both are related to the election campaign for the
presidential runoff. They are populist statements. They probably wanted
to grab more votes," Borbely said. 
Author: DIVERS


REESTABLISHMENT OF EMANUIL GOJDU�S FUNERARY MONUMENT

ORADEA � The funerary monument of Romanian patriot Emanuil Gojdu was
reestablished in Oradea, informs Rompres.
The entire supra-structure of the monument made up of a baldachin roof
placed upon 12 metallic columns is ready to be transported to Kerepesi
cemetery in Budapest, namely to the funerary stone of this Romanian
Mecena. Emanuil Gojdu (1802 � 1870) was probably the most important
Mecena of the Romanians. He donated almost all his fortune to the
Foundation named after him, which became the richest institution of this
type in the former Austro-Hungarian emporium. The money of the
foundation were granted for hundreds of stipends to the Romanian
students attending classes in the capitals worldwide, decisively
contributing to the establishment of a Romanian intellectual elite in
this part of the country, the elite that fought for the rights of the
Romanian people and accomplisher of the Great Union.
Author: DIVERS


PREMIERE IN HARGHITA � ROMA GET A SEAT OF DEPUTY

MIERCUREA CIUC � For the first time after 1989, Ethic Roma in Harghita
county have got a mandate of deputy in the Parliament of Romania, the
5th eligible seat for the Chamber of Deputies being won by the prefect
of Harghita Mircea Dusa, president of PSD organization in the county.
Mircea Dusa ran for the Chamber of Deputies on the Lists of National
Union PSD+PUR and got about 13.600 votes following Sunday polling,
namely on November 28. Mircea Dusa stated his victory is a historic
moment for the Romanians in Harghita, as for the first time after the
enactment of the Constitution in 1991, they are represented in the
Parliament of Romania. �The Romanians as well as the Magyars in Harghita
understood they can be represented by the Parliament by another group
than UDMR and I think they valued my experience in the administration�,
stated Mircea Dusa. He added that on Sunday polling, he received votes
from each locality in the county, being also preferred by some Magyar
electors. 
Author: DIVERS


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