The cabinet appointed ethnic Hungarian Gyula Somogyi Deputy Prefect of Cluj/Kolozs County and Ferenc Tusz Deputy Prefect of Arad County. Both replace DAHR colleagues who have assumed other positions. [DAHR Bulletin (Bucharest), Jun. 29, 2000]

Following the Chamber of Deputies’ previous decision, the Senate also amended Government Decree 105/1999. The decree now expands the scope of compensation for persecution and deportation based on ethnicity in Law 118/1990 to include the period from August 23, 1944 to March 6, 1945. [see reports of November 12 and September 19, 1999.] Previously omitted from the text, ethnic Hungarians, who suffered under the Antonescu regime, in particular at the hands of the Maniu Guards in the Tirgu Jiu concentration camp and the Fediora/Földvár death camp, will now be eligible for compensation. [DAHR Bulletin (Bucharest), Jun. 29, 2000]

Ioan Cioca, mayor of Feldioara/Földvár in Brasov/Brassó County, had a monument dedicated to the 250 ethnic Hungarians who perished under the Antonescu regime between 1940 and 1944 damaged and removed. Erected last week, the mayor's office and the competent county authorities had finally granted permission for the monument after a year of delays. The monument was placed in the cemetery housing a similar structure unveiled in 1998 by the Russian Culture and Foreign Affairs Ministries to commemorate the death of 21 Russian soldiers in the same camp. The mayor tried to wrestle a video camera from Barna Ungvári, the local Protestant pastor, as he filmed him giving orders for the monument's removal. At a subsequent press conference, the minister announced plans to sue the mayor. [DAHR Bulletin (Bucharest), Jun. 28, 2000]

The Cluj/Kolozs County Council was inaugurated today with the following composition: 10 seats for the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR), 8 for the Greater Rumania Party (PRM), 7 for the Iliescu-led Rumanian Social Democracy Party (PDSR), 4 for the Rumanian National Unity Party (PUNR—Funar's former affiliation), 4 for the Rumanian Democratic Convention (CDR), 3 for the Liberal Party (PL), 3 for the Atanasiu-led Rumanian Socialist Democratic Party (PSDR) and 2 for the Melescanu-led Alliance for Rumania Party (APR). The Council also elected a president and vice-presidents including DAHR candidate Sándor Kerekes for the latter post. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Jun. 24, 2000]

The Cluj/Kolozsvár city council elected two deputy mayors over the wishes of re-elected Mayor Gheorghe Funar, namely ethnic Hungarian János Boros of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania and Gavrila Mircea of the Christian Democratic Peasant Party. All council members voted the individuals except those from Funar's Greater Rumania Party. [DAHR Bulletin (Bucharest), Jun. 23, 2000]

At the initiative of the Secretariat for Religious Affairs, the cabinet adopted a government decree allowing officially recognized religious denominations to submit claims for the return of ten church properties (per bishopric and excluding churches themselves) confiscated illegally by the state under communism. Minister for Minority Affairs Péter Eckstein-Kovács told the press that according to the decree a special commission has to be created within 30 days to establish competence beginning 60 days from the legal measure's entry into force. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Jun. 24, 2000]

In a close race, the Rumanian Democratic Convention candidate Dorin Florea defeated ethnic Hungarian Mayor Imre Fodor during the second round of elections in Targu-Mures/Marosvásárhely. The candidate won with 51.47 percent of the vote over the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania 's incumbent who garnered 48.53 percent. [Krónika (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Jun. 20, 2000]

Following the second round of elections in Cluj/Kolozsvár, the ultra-nationalist Mayor Gheorghe Funar of the Greater Rumania Party (PRM) defeated the democratic opposition's united candidate Serban Radulescu. Funar received 53.2 percent of the vote compared to his rival from the Rumanian Democratic Convention (CDR) who got 46.78 percent. Radulescu enjoyed the support of the 10 parties in the race, including the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Jun. 20, 2000]

DAHR’s final results in the local elections were as follows: Total number of mayoral positions: 148 compared to 139 after the 1996 local elections. Total number of local councilors (villages, towns, and cities): 2,451compared to 2,445 in 1996. Total number of county councilors: 135 or two more than in 1996. DAHR representation by county:

Arad/Arad 4 mayors, 66 local councilors, 4 county councilors

Bistrita/Beszterce-Naszód 34 local councilors, 2 county councilors

Bihor/Bihar 16 mayors, 239 local councilors, 10 county councilors

Brasov/Brassó 2 mayors, 62 local councilors, 4 county councilors

Alba Iulia/Fehér 1 mayor, 44 local councilors, 2 county councilors

Harghita/Hargita 34 mayors, 574 local councilors, 27 county councilors

Hunedoara/Hunyad 11 local councilors, 2 county councilors

Cluj/Kolozs 8 mayors, 170 local councilors, 10 county councilors

Covasna/Kovászna 20 mayors, 352 local councilors, 26 county councilors

Mures/Maros 29 mayors, 442 local councilors, 17 county councilors

Maramures/Máramaros 1 mayor, 44 local councilors, 4 county councilors

Satu-Mare/Szatmár 11 mayors, 204 local councilors, 14 county councilors

Sibiu/Szeben 11 local councilors

Salaj/Szilágy 12 mayors, 157 local councilors, 10 county councilors

Timis/Temes 3 mayors, 41 local councilors, 3 county councilors

[DAHR News Watch, Jun. 19, 2000]

The senate of the Petru Maior State Technology University in Targu Mures/Marosvásárhely denied permission for the creation of Hungarian-language classes in the institution. The move comes despite amendments to the education law last year that allow for new minority-language classes, sections and departments to be established as needed. The ethnic Rumanian majority senate rejected the proposal submitted March 10 by 18 Hungarian university professors despite a positive assessment by Education Minister Andrei Marga. As each state university has by law organizational, functional and decision-making authority, the chances for Hungarian-language classes to commence in the fall are bleak. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), Jun. 16, 2000]

The Central Election Office of the Mures/Maros County rejected two motions for a recount of votes cast during the first round of local elections on June 4 in Targu Mures/Marosvásárhely, the 52 percent ethnic Hungarian populated county seat. Submitted by the county branch of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR), the organization contested the high percentage of invalidated ballots, nearly 20 percent of all those cast. Most of the ballots that were nullified were DAHR's because the seals used to vote were allegedly partially stamped outside the perimeters of the organization's identifying symbol, the tulip. DAHR's candidate, incumbent Imre Fodor, lost the 50 percent +1 votes necessary for a clear victory by 168 votes and therefore both he and Dorin Florea, the current county Prefect, will vie for the post on June 18 when a straight majority will be enough to win the elections and DAHR monitoring will be more vigilant, said an organization spokesman. [Népújság (Targu Mures/Marosvásárhely), Jun. 5, 6, 7, 8, 2000; DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Jun. 7, 2000]

Following a decision by the Cluj/Kolozs County Branch of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR), their mayoral candidate, Péter Eckstein-Kovács announced his resignation today from the race in favor of the third runner-up, Democratic Convention candidate Serban Radulescu. Eckstein-Kovacs called on all political parties with candidates in the race to form a coalition against the Greater Rumania Party incumbent Gheorghe Funar and support Radulescu in the second round of voting to be held on June 18. DAHR's decision was influenced by its overriding aim to see the ultra-nationalistic mayor defeated and to increase the democratic opposition's chances by eliminating the ethnic factor from the race. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Jun. 8 and 9, 2000]

In a letter to the Rumanian Chamber of Deputies and to Vice President of the Rumanian Christian Democratic Peasant Party, Vasile Lupu, Chariman of the Council of Europe’s Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee, asked Rumania to speed up the process of harmonizing its legislation with European standards. The chairman particularly requested: (1) improvements in the penitentiary system and the state of orphanages; (2) resolving problems related to the restitution of properties illegally confiscated under communism and (3) a parliamentary position condemning growing ethnic and racial hatred in the country. The possibility that Rumania will again be subject to monitoring of its human rights situation by the Council of Europe exists if the country ignores this request, emphasized Lupu. [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Jun. 7, 2000]

The Senate began debate over the draft on property rights, which was already adopted a year ago by the Chamber of Deputies. The legislation’s author, Minister of Justice Valeriu Stoica, pointed out the importance and urgent nature of the bill. He drew attention to the fact that to date Rumanian citizens have submitted 2,070 petitions to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, 309 of which are property issues already on the court calendar. Christian Democratic Peasant Party senators supported the bill and reminded their colleagues that providing restitution for private properties confiscated under communism was a major requirement of Rumania's membership in the Council of Europe in 1993 and is still unfulfilled. Only the ultra-nationalist Greater Rumania Party and the Rumanian National Unity Party senators opposed the bill. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Jun. 8, 2000]

According to data already available, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania's (DAHR) results during the June 4 local elections were positive and passed 1996 election results: 112 candidates were elected as mayors, 2,452 candidates were elected as representative in local councils and 135 as county counselors following the first round of the elections. In those public administrative regions were the turnout did not produce a clear winner with 50 percent+1 of the votes, a second round of voting will be held on June 18. The Alliance will be running mayoral candidates in 92 localities during the second round. [DAHR Bulletin (Bucharest), Jun. 8, 2000; DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Jun. 7, 2000]

Péter Eckstein-Kovács, Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) candidate for the mayoral post in Cluj/ Kolozsvár came in second with 21.15 percent of the vote after the city’s ultra-nationalist mayor, Gheorghe Funar, who garnered 45.88 percent during nation-wide local elections held June 4. As none of the candidates gained 50 percent+1 of the votes, voting will be repeated in the city on June 18. Eckstein-Kovács is yet to decide if he will stay in the race or throw his votes behind the other democratic party's candidate Serban Radulescu of the Rumanian Democratic Convention (CDR) party. DAHR candidates, and candidates from Funar's Greater Rumania Party, each gained eight seats on the local city council. Lajos Molnos, one of the newly re-elected councilors, pointed out that of the approximately 56,000 eligible ethnic Hungarians two-thirds turned out, a higher ratio than among ethnic Rumanians. In the county council, DAHR candidates won the most votes with nine seat, followed by the Greater Rumania Party with eight, the Iliescu-led social democrats with seven, the Rumanian National Unity Party, the Democratic Party and the Democratic Convention with four each, and the remaining 8 places distributed among the Liberal Party, the Melescanu-led Alliance for Rumania Party and the left-wing social democrats (PSDR). [Szabadság (Cluj-Kolozsvár), Jun. 6, 2000]

In an extremely tight race, Targu Mures/Marosvásárhely Mayor Imre Fodor, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania candidate, lost a clear victory over county prefect Dorin Florea by a mere 168 votes. Fodor gathered 49.9 percent of the vote (38,844), with Florea in second place with 12,500, thereby coming in just shy of the 50 percent+1 votes needed to win. The run-off between the two candidates will occur on June 18. [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Jun. 7, 2000]