Hungarians march during the Székely Freedom Day commemoration in Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely)
The territorial autonomy of Szeklerland is not contrary to the Romanian constitution, only to its misinterpretations and distortions in political practice, stated the President of the Szekler National Council (SZNT) on Monday.
Balázs Izsák believes that there are “serious misunderstandings regarding the first article of the Romanian constitution, which lead to political distortions.” These misinterpretations not only distort the issue of autonomy, but also weaken the equality of citizens and “the idea of modern Romanian democracy,” he points out.
The SZNT therefore has no issue with “the constitution itself,” but rather with the “tacit interpretation” that exists in Romanian political practice, which distorts the spirit of the fundamental law,
the President asserted.
Balázs Izsák, President of the Szekler National Council. Photo: Facebook/Izsák Balázs
Quoting the first article of the Romanian constitution (“Romania is a sovereign, independent, unitary, indivisible National State”) he explains that in the European sense, the “Romanian nation” refers to the community of citizens and not to a single ethnic group.
Sovereignty therefore belongs not to the Romanian ethnic group, but to all citizens of Romania, who have equal rights within the state,”
he wrote.
He emphasized that sovereignty is not held by the state apparatus, but by the community of citizens, which exercises power within the framework of the constitution. “Sovereignty is not an ethnic but a political concept: it expresses the unity of the community of citizens, not its ethnic homogeneity,” he stresses.
In contrast, he adds, Romanian political discourse interprets sovereignty as the exclusive right of the central government, contrasting it with the demand for decentralization or autonomy. “This is a misinterpretation. In modern democracies, sovereignty is exercised on several levels: both central and local authorities are involved,” he states, citing Italy, Spain, and Finland as examples.
The territorial autonomy of Szeklerland would not limit the sovereignty of the Romanian state, but would in fact strengthen it, giving all citizens—including the Hungarian community—the opportunity to participate responsibly in public life,”
he emphasized.
Balázs Izsák also pointed out that the term “unitary state” does not mean uniformity, but rather coherent cooperation. The autonomy of Szeklerland would not eliminate unity, but would renew it in the European spirit, he stated.
In the expression “indivisible state,” indivisibility does not refer to territorial integrity, but to the rigidity of powers. He explained that this is a geographical and legal concept, but in public discourse it is often used as an argument against autonomy, as if self-determination would lead to the fragmentation of the state.
“This is a legal error. Autonomy does not mean the division of sovereignty, but its decentralized exercise,” he wrote. He adds that many European states have territorial autonomy without jeopardizing their indivisibility.
The territorial autonomy of Szeklerland is not contrary to the indivisibility of Romania, but rather reinforces it: it increases the internal stability of the civil community, deepens democracy, and strengthens the relationship with the Romanian state,”
summarized Balázs Izsák.
In conclusion, he stated that Romania’s constitution is not an obstacle to the territorial autonomy of Szeklerland, but rather a foundation for it. The problem lies not in the constitution itself, but in its tacit, ethnicist interpretation, added the president of the SZNT.
Fact
Szeklerland is a historic and ethnographic area in present-day Romania, inhabited mainly by Szeklers, a subgroup of Hungarians. Originally, the name Szeklerland denoted the territories of a number of autonomous Szekler seats within Transylvania. The self-governing Szekler seats had their own administrative system, and existed as legal entities from medieval times until the 1870s. The privileges of the seats were abolished and seats were replaced with counties in 1876. Along with Transylvania, Szeklerland became a part of Romania in 1920, in accordance with the Treaty of Trianon.
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Via MTI; Featured photo: MTI/Kiss Gábor
The post Autonomy for Romania’s Hungarian Community Does Not Violate the Constitution appeared first on Hungary Today.
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