Ugrupowania polityczne mniejszości narodowych w Rumunii. Przykład Węgrów i Niemców
Political groupings of national minorities in Romania. The example of Hungarians and Germans

Summary/Abstract: Among other things, the transformation in Romania has allowed for the participation of the representatives of national minorities in the political system of state. This is illustrated by the case of Hungarians, who according to the 2011 census account for over 1,237,000 of the population, and that of approximately 37,000 Germans. Both groups take a regular and active part in both national and local elections. Hungarians are represented by the UDMR, a group that wins support in excess of 5% of the votes, thus regularly getting over 20 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and approximately ten seats in the Senate. The Germans are represented by the FDGR, with considerably weaker support, which translates into only a single seat in the parliament. Both minorities play a significant role in regional elections, even though the German population is considerably smaller than that of the Hungarians. The town of Sibiu is one example of their electoral success. The significance of both groups should not be expected to change significantly in the future. Unlike in the case of the Hungarians, support for the Germans is higher than might be expected from their number. This follows from the fact that the issue of the German minority in Romania has never stirred such tensions as that of the Hungarians, both in domestic and international relations. Therefore, casting a vote for the FDGR does not have to follow from being a member of the German minority, allowing the party to win potential voters.

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