The Romanian Democratic Convention ( ro, Convenţia Democrată Română or Convenția Democratică Română; abbreviated CDR) was an electoral alliance of several
democratic,
anti-Communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
,
anti-totalitarian
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...
, and
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
political parties in Romania, active from 1991 until 2000. The most prominent leaders of the CDR throughout the 1990s were by far
Corneliu Coposu
Corneliu (Cornel) Coposu () (20 May 1914 – 11 November 1995) was a Christian Democratic and liberal conservative Romanian politician, the founder of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party ( ro, Partidul NaÈ›ional Țărănesc CreÈ ...
,
Ion Rațiu
Ion Rațiu (; 6 June 1917 – 17 January 2000) was a Romanian lawyer, diplomat, journalist, businessman, writer, and politician as well as the official presidential candidate of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚ-CD) in the ...
, and
Ion Diaconescu
Ion Diaconescu (; 25 August 1917 – 11 October 2011) was a Romanian anti-Communist activist and politician. He was imprisoned as a political prisoner for seventeen years from 1947 to 1964 during Romania's Communist era. Diaconescu later bec ...
, all three members of the
Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNÈšCD) - successor and political heir to the
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc, or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It w ...
(PNÈš), active in the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
between 1926 and 1948).
The name of the CDR was coined by
Sergiu Cunescu
Sergiu Cunescu (March 16, 1923—March 16, 2005) was a Romanian social democratic politician, the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR) between 1990 and 2001.
Biography
Born in Bucharest, he graduated from the Electromagn ...
, the leader of the
Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR), as stated in a late 1990s interview by former
PNL re-founding president
Radu Câmpeanu
Radu-Anton Câmpeanu (; 28 February 1922 - 19 October 2016) was a Romanian politician who was also jurist and economist by profession, after graduating from the University of Bucharest in November 1945. During the interwar period and up until 19 ...
at ''Marius Tucă Show'' by talk show journalist
Marius Tucă.
History
Political composition
The core members of the CDR included the following political parties:
*
Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚCD): (1991–2001);
*
Ecologist Federation of Romania (FER): (1991–2001);
*
Romanian Ecologist Party (PER): (1991–2000);
*
Civic Alliance Party (PAC): (1991–1995);
*
Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR): (1991–1995);
*
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania
The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR; hu, Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség, RMDSZ; ro, Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România, UDMR) is a political party in Romania which aims to represent the significant Hungarian m ...
(UDMR/RMDSZ): (1991–1992, 1992–1995);
*
National Liberal Party (PNL): (1991–1992, 1993–1999);
*
National Liberal Party-Democratic Convention
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
(PNL-CD): (1992–1997);
*
National Liberal Party-Youth Wing (PNL-AT): (1992–1993);
*
Liberal Party '93 (PL ’93): (1993–1995);
*
Union of Right-leaning Forces (PAR, then UFD): 1996–2001;
* National Christian Democratic Alliance (ANCD): (1999–2001);
* The Moldavians' Party (PM): (1999–2001).
Eventually, some parties left (more specifically, the main faction of the PNL between 1992 and 1996, as well as the PAC, PSDR, and UDMR/RMDSZ in 1995), while other minor parties joined or were created between mergers within the alliance such as the
Liberal Party '93 (PL '93) or the
Union of Right-leaning Forces (UFD).
1991–1992: Foundation
CDR was founded in 1991, one year before the
1992 elections, mainly by the PNÅ¢CD and the
National Liberal Party (PNL). In addition, aside from the aforementioned political forces, several other noteworthy civic and cultural organisations, foundations, and other minor political parties were involved in the foundational process.
Initially, the planned name of the CDR was "The National Convention for Democracy Implementation" ( ro, Convenţia Națională pentru Implementarea Democrației). Subsequently, the main purpose of the CDR was to amount an effective opposition against the then all-dominating
National Salvation Front (FSN), a huge parliamentary bloc made up mostly of former second and third rank members of 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), which assumed leadership of the country shortly after the
1989 Revolution. According to a later interview by Emil Constantinescu, the former President of Romania claimed that the FSN was actually made of former first rank members of the PCR.
1992–1996: Opposition
For the period 1992–1996, CDR was the main political opposition force in the
Parliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania ( ro, Parlamentul României) is the national bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies ( ro, Camera Deputaților) and the Senate ( ro, Senat). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament i ...
and in the local administration as well. Although the convention won the capital city of
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
and much of the larger urban centres at the
1992 local elections, FSN swept over almost all rural areas and small towns.
The alliance also included the UDMR/RMDSZ, which ran on a separate list, and a number of minor parties and civic organisations that failed to gain parliamentary representation: the Democratic Unity Party, the Christian Democratic Union, the Ecologist Federation of Romania (FER), the
Civic Alliance (PAC), and others. Prior to the 1992 general elections, the PNL led by Radu Câmpeanu withdrew from the CDR.
At the
1992 general elections,
Emil Constantinescu
Emil Constantinescu () (born 19 November 1939) is a Romanian professor and politician, who served as the President of Romania, from 1996 to 2000.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Constantinescu became a founding member and vice president ...
was the presidential candidate of the convention. He managed to qualify in the second round where he finished second with an electoral score of 38.57% (or 4,641,207 votes).
1996–2000: Government
In 1993, the PNL led by
Mircea Ionescu-Quintus returned within the CDR. Subsequently, the CDR managed to win the
1996 Romanian elections, and the alliance's presidential candidate, once again
Emil Constantinescu
Emil Constantinescu () (born 19 November 1939) is a Romanian professor and politician, who served as the President of Romania, from 1996 to 2000.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Constantinescu became a founding member and vice president ...
, became president with 54.41% (or 7,057,906 votes). The
1996 Romanian general election represented the first peaceful transition of power in the democratic history of Romania after the fall of Communism.
For the period 1996–2000, the CDR formed a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Union (an alliance between the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
and PSDR) and the
UDMR/RMDSZ (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania). At governing level, this grand coalition resulted in the
Ciorbea Cabinet (1996–1998),
Vasile Cabinet (1998–1999), and
Isărescu Cabinet (1999–2000).
2000–2004: CDR 2000 and extra-parliamentary opposition
Due to internal frictions within the alliance (as well as given the somewhat inconsistent and turbulent governing from 1996 to 2000), the PNL decided to withdraw from the CDR prior to the
2000 general elections. Nonetheless, PNÈšCD and other parties ran on the CDR 2000 common list for these elections. The alliance did not manage to score the same positive results as it did during the 1990s and, consequently, shortly disbanded since it did not pass the electoral threshold. However, it expressed extra-parliamentary opposition between 2000 and 2004 towards the minority
PDSR government led by
Adrian Năstase
Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004.
He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
.
Presidents and notable leaders
*
Corneliu Coposu
Corneliu (Cornel) Coposu () (20 May 1914 – 11 November 1995) was a Christian Democratic and liberal conservative Romanian politician, the founder of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party ( ro, Partidul NaÈ›ional Țărănesc CreÈ ...
(PNÈšCD, early to mid 1990s);
*
Ion Rațiu
Ion Rațiu (; 6 June 1917 – 17 January 2000) was a Romanian lawyer, diplomat, journalist, businessman, writer, and politician as well as the official presidential candidate of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚ-CD) in the ...
(PNÈšCD, early 1990s);
*
Ion Diaconescu
Ion Diaconescu (; 25 August 1917 – 11 October 2011) was a Romanian anti-Communist activist and politician. He was imprisoned as a political prisoner for seventeen years from 1947 to 1964 during Romania's Communist era. Diaconescu later bec ...
(PNÈšCD, early to late 1990s);
*
Emil Constantinescu
Emil Constantinescu () (born 19 November 1939) is a Romanian professor and politician, who served as the President of Romania, from 1996 to 2000.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Constantinescu became a founding member and vice president ...
(PNÈšCD, late 1990s);
*
Radu Câmpeanu
Radu-Anton Câmpeanu (; 28 February 1922 - 19 October 2016) was a Romanian politician who was also jurist and economist by profession, after graduating from the University of Bucharest in November 1945. During the interwar period and up until 19 ...
(PNL, only during the early 1990s);
*
Mircea Ionescu-Quintus (PNL, mid to late 1990s);
*
Géza Domokos Géza is a Hungarian given name and may refer to any of the following:
* Benjamin Géza Affleck
* Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians
* Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary
* Géza, son of Géza II of Hung ...
(UDMR/RMDSZ, early 1990s);
*
György Frunda (UDMR/RMDSZ, mid 1990s to late 1990s);
*
Sergiu Cunescu
Sergiu Cunescu (March 16, 1923—March 16, 2005) was a Romanian social democratic politician, the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR) between 1990 and 2001.
Biography
Born in Bucharest, he graduated from the Electromagn ...
(PSDR, early to mid 1990s);
*
Otto Weber (PER, early to late 1990s);
*
Marcian Bleahu
Marcian David (Matty) Bleahu (14 March 1924, in Brașov – 30 July 2019, in Bucharest) was a Romanian geologist, speleologist, geographer, alpinist, explorer, writer and politician. He is well known for his scientific contributions to the develo ...
(FER, early to late 1990s).
As of 2022, of all the aforementioned leaders of the CDR, only Constantinescu and Frunda are still alive.
Electoral history
Legislative elections
Notes:
1 CDR members in 1992: PNÈšCD (21 senators and 41 deputies), PAC (7 senators and 13 deputies), PNL-AT (1 senator and 11 deputies), PSDR (1 senator and 10 deputies), PNL-CD (4 senators and 3 deputies), and PER
Per is a Latin preposition which means "through" or "for each", as in per capita.
Per or PER may also refer to:
Places
* IOC country code for Peru
* Pér, a village in Hungary
* Chapman code for Perthshire, historic county in Scotland
Math ...
(no senators and 4 deputies).
2 CDR members in 1996: PNÈšCD (25 senators and 81 deputies), PNL (22 senators and 28 deputies), PNL-CD (1 senator and 4 deputies), PAR (3 senators and 3 deputies), PER
Per is a Latin preposition which means "through" or "for each", as in per capita.
Per or PER may also refer to:
Places
* IOC country code for Peru
* Pér, a village in Hungary
* Chapman code for Perthshire, historic county in Scotland
Math ...
(1 senator and 5 deputies), and Ecologist Federation of Romania (FER - 1 senator and 1 deputy).
3 CDR 2000 members: PNÈšCD, UFD, Ecologist Federation of Romania (FER), National Christian Democratic Alliance (ANCD), and The Moldavians Party (PM).
Local elections
National results
Mayor of Bucharest
Presidential elections
Notes:
1 Emil Constantinescu was the common centre-right candidate who was endorsed by the PNÈšCD both in 1992 and 1996 as part of the CDR.
2 Mugur Isărescu was endorsed by the PNȚCD at the 2000 elections as part of the re-named CDR 2000 alliance.
Timeline of the political composition of the CDR with all of its constituent parties (1991–2000)
See also
*
Politics of Romania
Romania's political framework is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic where the Prime Minister is the head of government while the President represents the country internationally, signs some decrees, approves laws promulgate ...
*
List of political parties in Romania
This article lists political parties in Romania. Romania has a democratic multi-party system with numerous political parties, in which a political party does not often have the chance of gaining parliamentary majority alone, and, thus, parties m ...
References
Bibliography
* Dan Pavel, Iulia Huia, ''<
> O istorie analitică a Convenţiei Democratice, 1989-2000'', Editura Polirom, Iaşi, 2003
* Roper, Steven D., ''<>'', East European Quarterly, 1997. Vol. 31, 4: 519–542.
{{Authority control
Defunct political party alliances in Romania