The Front of Socialist Unity and Democracy ( ro, Frontul Democrației și Unității Socialiste, FDUS) was a
political alliance
A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used differ ...
in
Romania from 1968 to 1989, dominated by the
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party ( ro, Partidul Comunist Român, , PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that woul ...
(PCR).
History
The alliance was formed in 1968 as the Front of Socialist Unity (''Frontul Unității Socialiste'', FUS), and renamed the Front of Socialist Unity and Democracy in 1980.
[ It brought together all legal political parties in the country,Romania: Elections held in 1980]
IPU replacing the
People's Democratic Front. Like its predecessor, it was organised and directed by the PCR. The minor parties in the front were completely subservient to the PCR, and had to accept its "leading role" as a condition of their continued existence.
Dieter Nohlen
Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An expe ...
& Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1604–1605 No prospective candidate could run for office without the Front's approval, which in effect allowed the Front and, through it, the PCR to predetermine the composition of the legislature.
Nicolae Ceaușescu, who served as general secretary of the PCR and President of Romania, was also the chairman of the Front.
[Electoral system]
''Romania: A country study.'' Library of Congress Federal Research Division, December 1989.
Voters were presented with a single list of FUS/FDUS candidates in every election between
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
and
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, with the option to choose all or part of the list or reject it entirely. The Front therefore won all seats in the
Great National Assembly in every election, claiming to have received at least 97 percent each time.
[ Each time, fewer than 400,000 people either rejected the list outright, spoiled their papers, or cast blank ballots.
After the Constitution was amended to create an executive presidency, the FDUS recommended the presidential candidate in tandem with the Communist Party's Central Committee.]
Electoral history
Great National Assembly elections
See also
* People's Democratic Front
References
{{Authority control
Popular fronts of communist states
Defunct political party alliances in Romania
Political parties established in 1968
1968 establishments in Romania
Political parties disestablished in 1989
1989 disestablishments in Romania
Romanian Communist Party