“I have not talked to president Klaus Iohannis since March, neither have I heard an apology from him,” Hunor Kelemen, President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (otherwise known by its Hungarian acronym of RMDSZ) told the Agerpres news agency. Both RMDSZ and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) demanded an apology from Romania’s president back in April, after he had accused the ethnic Hungarian minority in Transylvania and the PSD of “plotting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to give Transylvania to Hungary.”
In his video statement released by the Presidential Office et the end of April, Iohannis even greeted PSD by saying “Good day, PSD” in Hungarian, accompanied by a derisive intonation. “His entire statement was unacceptable, as it was completely unfounded, and he made a mockery of the Hungarian language as well. The President was inciting hatred, and there was absolutely no need for that. I understand that he was trying to divert attention away from the country’s economic and social problems and an underachieving government, but as the President of Romania, he should not fight a political battle in such a manner,” said Hunor Kelemen to the Agerpres news agency.
In the Agerpres interview, Kelemen also talked about the fact that, in his view, neither the beginning of the school year nor the municipal elections planned for September 27 should be postponed. He believes that given the current epidemiological situation in Romania, there will always be risks. Nevertheless, these risks could be diminished “if the government did what needs to be done.” As Kelemen underlined, RMDSZ had already suggested back in June that the government should increase the number of electoral districts to avoid crowds when voting at the polls, but this did not happen. Even so, the politician believes that if authorities and voters respect the precautionary measures, casting votes on Election Day will not pose any higher risk than when going to the store.
The RMDSZ president did not fail to point out that the government had six months to prepare for the new school year but basically passed the responsibility on to the local authorities. According to the epidemiological situation in every locality, authorities had to decide how their schools should prepare and what teaching methods they should use, proving that local autonomy is much needed in such types of decision making, said Kelemen. “I am convinced that most institutions will be able to open the school year in a somewhat normal framework,” he added. The leader of RMDSZ believes that online teaching is not an adequate option; on the one hand, the Romanian educational system is not properly prepared for it, while on the other, children need to learn and socialize in a community, stated Kelemen.
When asked about the results RMDSZ expects to achieve at the municipal elections, the politician said that it would be a good result to get some 200 mayors and four county council presidents elected. Kelemen emphasized that the electoral projects RMDSZ prepared are meant to address not just the Hungarian community, but Romanians too. “The essence of these projects is the consistent development of the country, of its historical regions and its infrastructure,” noted the president. RMDSZ campaigns in several Transylvanian cities in Romanian as well, since the “national frenzy” that characterizes parliamentary elections is not as much of a factor in municipal campaigns.
Title image: Hunor Kelemen pointed out that RMDSZ’s electoral projects aim for the consistent development of the country
Source: Hunor Kelemen/Facebook
