Romanian Politician Criticized for Addressing Hungarian Minorities

Crin Antonescu, presidential candidate in Romania

Crin Antonescu, the presidential candidate supported by the governing coalition, is under fire from the Covasna County branch of AUR (Alliance for the Union of Romanians). They criticize the politician’s campaign slogan and the absence of the Romanian tricolor, reported Maszol.

The Covasna AUR condemned what they called Crin Antonescu’s hypocrisy in a Facebook post by the ultranationalist party. “When he is in front of Romanians, he appears with the tricolor and speaks of unity. When he is in front of others, he abandons all national symbols and uses the slogan of a foreign leader (Viktor Orbán). That is not politics, it is pure hypocrisy!” the statement reads.

The post poses the question: who does Crin Antonescu want to be president for? “When he visited Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy, in Transylvania),

he avoided engaging with the Romanian community and instead chose to address only Hungarian speakers.

Romania needs a president who is honest and represents all Romanians — not a politician who changes his message depending on his interests and target audience. Say no to double standards! Justice for Romania!” the AUR post declares.

Recently, Victor Ponta also lashed out at Antonescu. The former Social Democratic Prime Minister, now running as an independent presidential candidate, said after Antonescu’s visit to Szeklerland that

as president he would not accept any form of autonomy based on ethnic criteria.

“On Saturday, a presidential candidate who was trying to win the votes of ethnic Hungarians in Harghita and Covasna said, ‘We are used to having a Székely Land.’ A statement like that clearly shows how confused some people are,” Ponta wrote on Facebook. The PSD (Social Democratic Party) politician also cited the first article of the Romanian Constitution, which states that Romania is a unified and indivisible state.

Fact

Crin Antonescu, former leader of Romania’s National Liberal Party (PNL), rose to prominence in the 1990s and briefly served as interim president in 2012 after a controversial suspension of President Traian Băsescu. After stepping down from PNL leadership and disappearing from politics, Antonescu is now running in the 2024 presidential race, supported by the ruling coalition. Known for his nationalist rhetoric and varied positions on issues such as climate change and LGBTQ+ rights, Antonescu has attracted attention due to his controversial past. His approach to Hungarian minority rights, a sensitive topic in Romanian-Hungarian relations, is also a key point of his political platform, as Hungary continues to advocate for the protection of minority communities in Romania.

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