György Frunda
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György Frunda (born July 22, 1951) is a
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n jurist, politician, and lawyer. A member of the
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR; , RMDSZ ; , UDMR) is a political party in Romania which aims to represent the significant Hungarian minority of Romania. Officially considering itself a federation of minority interests ra ...
(UDMR), he has been a member of the
Romanian Senate 2012–2016 2008–2012 In December 2008, the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and the political alliance established between the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Conservative Party (PC) formed a coalition government. 2004–2008 In the ...
for
Mureș County Mureș County (, , ) is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș. The county was established in 1968, after the administrative reor ...
since 1992, and was twice the UDMR's candidate for the office of
Romanian President The president of Romania () is the head of state of Romania. The president is directly elected by a two-round system, and, following a modification to the Romanian Constitution in 2003, serves for five years. An individual may serve two ter ...
(in 1996 and 2000). Since 1992, Frunda has been a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
(PACE), serving as president of the delegation since September 2004, and sitting with the
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian democracy, Christian democratic, liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative, and conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other p ...
(EPP). A member of the
Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
in 1990–1992, he served on the commission drafting the Romanian Constitution. On December 18, 2004, György Frunda was awarded the
Hungarian Republic Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the ...
's Grand Cross of the Order of Merit by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Ferenc Mádl Ferenc Mádl (; 29 January 1931 – 29 May 2011) * : Collar of the Order of Merit (25 September 2002). References External links His biography at the website of the Office of the President of the Republic of HungaryRetrieved 2011-05-30 ...
.Profile at the Romanian Senate site
retrieved July 6, 2007
He is married to a physician, and has fathered two daughters.


Biography


Early life and career

He was born to ethnic Hungarian parents in
Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...
, at the time in Mureș Region,
Romanian People's Republic The Socialist Republic of Romania (, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989 (see Revolutions of 1989). From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian People's Repu ...
and is a member of the
Reformed Church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...
. His father Károly (known in
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
as ''Carol'') was a member of the
resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...
in opposition to the
Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
: in 1956, he joined
Ioan Faliboga Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Aromanian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved f ...
and other young people in organizing clandestine committees that took inspiration from the Hungarian Revolution.Nicolae Balint, "Ungaria, 1956. Ecouri mureșene" ("Hungary, 1956. Mureș County Echoes"), in ''
Magazin Istoric ''Magazin Istoric'' () is a Romanian monthly magazine. Overview ''Magazin Istoric'' was started in 1967. The first issue appeared in April 1967. The headquarters is in Bucharest. The monthly magazine contains articles and pictures about Romanian ...
'', November 2007, p.30
He was arrested in January 1958, and sentenced to 12 years in prison, but was set free by the general
amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...
of 1964. Frunda completed secondary studies at the Papiu Ilarian High School in the city in 1970, before enrolling at the University of
Cluj Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
(the present-day
Babeș-Bolyai University The Babeș-Bolyai University ( , , commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Established in 1581 as Academia Claudiopolitana, it underwent several reorganizations over the centuries, eventually taking ...
), where he completed Law studies in 1974. In 1991–1992, he took postgraduate classes at the
Salzburg Seminary Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Alps mountains. The town occupies the site of the Roman settlement ...
and the ''Future of Europe'' classes in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Between 1975 and 1995, Frunda worked as a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
in his native city, operating a private law practice after 1996. Following the 1989 Revolution, he joined the newly created UDMR and represented it in Chamber, serving as Secretary of the Committee for Drafting the Constitution and a member of the Chamber's Judicial Committee. He successfully ran on UDMR lists for the Senate in the 1992 election, serving as Vice President of its Judicial Committee and envoy to the PACE after 1993. He was appointed PACE
Rapporteur A rapporteur is a person who is appointed by an organization to report on the proceedings of its meetings. The term is a French-derived word. For example, Dick Marty was appointed ''rapporteur'' by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Eur ...
for Lithuania in 1995, and became Vice President of the EEP's Parliamentary Group in 1996 (reelected in 2000 and 2004).


1996–2000

Running in the 1996 presidential election, which were eventually won by the
Romanian Democratic Convention The Romanian Democratic Convention (; abbreviated CDR) was an electoral alliance of several democratic, anti-communist, anti-totalitarian, and centre-right political parties in Romania, active from 1991 until 2000. The most prominent leaders o ...
's
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, Romanian Revolution of 1989, Constantinescu became a founding member ...
, Frunda was supported by the UDMR and received 761,411 votes (6.02% of the ballot).''Political Transformation and the Electoral Process in Post-Communist Europe: Romania – Election Results''
, at the
University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. The university comprises three camp ...
; retrieved July 6, 2007
Commenting on the electoral debates of that year, analyst
Tom Gallagher C. Thomas Gallagher III (born February 3, 1944) is an American politician, financier, and insurance agent from the state of Florida and a member of the Republican Party. Gallagher holds the distinction of having served more years as an elected ...
contrasted the rhetoric of incumbent President
Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as the second president of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, ...
, who had become noted for his polemic views regarding the UDMR, with that of Frunda; contending that Iliescu was adopting a
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
discourse which had been discarded by the majority of voters, Gallagher described Frunda as the UDMR's "most moderate and fluent parliamentarian, who improved the UDMR's image for many Romanian voters". Confirmed a senator by the legislative election of the same period, he became Secretary of the Judicial Committee, also serving on the Committee for Monitoring and the Committee for Territorial Improvement and Local Authorities, as well as on the Committee for Human Rights (in 1999–2000) and, as Secretary, on the Judicial Committee for Appointments, Discipline, Immunities and Validations. Additionally, Frunda was Second Vice President of the PACE Judicial Committee. Welcoming reconciliation with Hungary and measures leading to the Romania's European integration at a time when the UDMR joined Victor Ciorbea's Democratic Convention cabinet, Frunda argued that this process had made unlikely the resurfacing of violent incidents such as the March 1990 ethnic clashes in Târgu Mureș.
Tom Gallagher C. Thomas Gallagher III (born February 3, 1944) is an American politician, financier, and insurance agent from the state of Florida and a member of the Republican Party. Gallagher holds the distinction of having served more years as an elected ...
, "Conflicts between East European States and Minorities in an Age of Democracy", in Farimah Daftary, Stefan Troebst, ''Radical Ethnic Movements in Contemporary Europe'',
Berghahn Books Berghahn Books is a New York and Oxford–based publisher of scholarly books and academic journals in the humanities and social sciences, with a special focus on social and cultural anthropology, European history, politics, and film and media ...
, Oxford, New York, 2003, , p.46, 47
In reference to the bilateral treaty signed by the two states, he stated: "from 1918 till now no leading figure in Romanian politics ever had the courage to say 'let us normalise relations with Hungary'". During the early 1990s, György Frunda represented in court Pál Cseresznyés, an ethnic Hungarian accused of taking part in the Târgu Mureș clashes. Michael Shafir
"Romanian President Pardons Ethnic Hungarian"
, at
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
, ''OMRI Daily Digest'', No. 246, Part I, December 30, 1996; retrieved July 6, 2007
Previously sentenced to 10 years in prison, Cseresznyés was the recipient of a
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
issued by President Constantinescu (December 1996). Speaking at the time, Frunda stressed that Romanian courts investigating the 1990 incidents had only sentenced ethnic Hungarians and
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
, and that Romanians had escaped punishment.


2000–2005

He was nominated the UDMR candidate for the presidential election of November 2000, after winning the nomination in an inner-party race with the more radical László Tőkés, the Union's Honorary Chairman., in ''Central European Review'', September 2000; retrieved July 6, 2007 Michael Shafir
"Hungarian Politician to Run in Romanian Presidential Elections"
, at
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
, ''RFE/RL Newsline'', September 11, 2000; retrieved July 6, 2007
Frunda was endorsed by UDMR leader
Béla Markó Béla Markó (born 8 September 1951) is a Romanian politician and writer of Hungarian ethnicity. He is married with three children. He is reportedly, a follower of reformed Christianity. The former leader of the Democratic Alliance of Hungari ...
, who advised party members not to vote for a change in policy; in reaction, Tőkés stressed that his adversary winning was going to "set in stone the wrong political line for a long time" (additionally, he accused the UDMR's leadership of displaying "moral decay"). Frunda was eventually voted by 59 members of the UDMR Council (Tőkés received 34 votes). During the electoral campaign, Frunda invited the
gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...
organization Accept to take part in a meeting with youth in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, at a time when Article 200 of the Romanian Penal Code, which criminalized
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
relations, was being brought under public scrutiny. He received 696,989 votes (6.22%) in the national suffrage. During the second round of voting, when the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
's Iliescu faced the
Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party (, PRM) is a Romanian far-right political party. Founded in May 1991 by Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor, it was led by the latter from that point until his death in September 2015. The party is sometimes referred ...
's
Corneliu Vadim Tudor Corneliu Vadim Tudor (; 28 November 1949 – 14 September 2015), also colloquially known as "Tribunul", was a poet, writer, and journalist who was the leader of the Greater Romania Party () and a Member of the European Parliament. He was a Rom ...
, he urged all political forces to isolate the latter, who is generally viewed as an extremist.Nick Thorpe
"Romania's Far-right Contender"
at
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, November 28, 2000; retrieved July 6, 2007
Stating that he was "worried by the high score Mr. Vadim Tudor achieved", he declared that: "All political parties in Romania now have an obligation to isolate him and his party". Frunda was reelected a senator during the legislative election of the same month, serving as President of the Committee for Human Rights after 2002. In January 2001, Frunda was among the 38 parliamentarians from 18 countries who signed an appeal to have Ilie Ilașcu, an
ethnic Romanian Romanians (, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a common culture and ancestry, they speak the Romanian language and live primarily in Roma ...
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
n citizen who had been tried and sentenced to death by a
Transnistria Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
n court, to be retried in a Council of Europe member state. Michael Shafir
"Romanian Moves Motion on Ilașcu in Strasbourg"
, at
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
, ''RFE/RL Newsline'', January 26, 2001; retrieved July 6, 2007
He noted that the matter was problematic, since Ilașcu was confirmed to have "shot and killed two people" by the Moldovan Supreme Court, but pointed out that the Transnistrian authorities were holding Ilașcu in "inhumane conditions" (a situation which he defined as "inadmissible"). Beginning 2003, Frunda sparked controversy when he called for the
posthumous rehabilitation Rehabilitation (, transliterated in English as ''reabilitatsiya'' or academically rendered as ''reabilitacija'') was a term used in the context of the former Soviet Union and the post-Soviet states. Beginning after the death of Stalin in 1953, t ...
of
Albert Wass Count Albert Wass de Szentegyed et Czege (; January 8, 1908 – February 17, 1998) was a Hungarian nobleman, forest engineer, novelist, poet, member of the Wass de Czege family. Wass was born in Válaszút, Austria-Hungary (now Răscruci, Cl ...
, a Hungarian writer convicted in Romania for participation in the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. William Totok
"Febra răsăriteană a reabilitărilor" ("The Eastern Fever of Rehabilitations")
in ''
Observator Cultural ''Observator Cultural'' (meaning "The Cultural Observer" in English) is a weekly literary magazine based in Bucharest, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast ...
'', Nr. 184, September 2003; retrieved January 11, 2011
His statement to the press argued that Wass, unlike Romania's
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
dictator
Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc ...
(who had been tried in a similar context), was the victim of procedural mistakes. Frunda did not run in the presidential election of 2004, and gave his backing to Markó, who was the UDMR's nominee; at a time when political parties were considering announcing candidatures for the post of Romanian Premier, Frunda was the one designated by the UDMR. Michael Shafir
"Romanian Prime-Ministerial Hopefuls Clash in Televised Debate"
, at
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
, ''RFE/RL Newsline'', October 22, 2004; retrieved July 6, 2007
During the televised debate hosted by
TVR 1 TVR 1 (; spelled out as ''Televiziunea Română 1'', "Romanian Television 1") is the main channel of the Romanian public broadcaster TVR. The most important show of the channel is Jurnalul TVR, whose motto is ("The news journal as it should ...
, in an unprecedented gesture, he summarized parts of the discussion in Hungarian. Reelected a senator during the 2004 legislative election, he became President of the Senate Committee for Human Rights, Religions and Minorities, and, inside the Council of Europe, First Vice President of the Monitoring Committees, member of the Committee on Human Rights, member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, and member of several other committees and subcommittees; additionally, Frunda was the council's Rapporteur for Nations, Minorities and Religion, and Rapporteur for the Judicial Committee on the "Concept of Nation"."The concept of "nation"", PACE Doc. 10762
, December 13, 2005, at the Council of Europe site; retrieved July 6, 2007


Monitoring in Latvia and Russia

During October 2005, he visited Latvia as Monitor, with the goal of establishing "whether Latvia is successfully fulfilling the commitments it undertook upon joining the Council of Europe" (part of the post-monitoring process)."Latvia. Visit by Monitoring Committee Chair of the Councils of Europe Parliamentary Assembly"
, in
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
's ''Europe and Central Asia. Summary of Concerns in the Region July – December 2005''
"The Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe Discuss Closing of the Post-Monitoring Dialogue"
, October 19, 2005, at the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia site; retrieved July 6, 2007
He notably met with
Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
Aigars Kalvītis Aigars Kalvītis (born 27 June 1966) is a Latvian businessman and a former politician who was the Prime Minister of Latvia from 2004 to 2007. Currently he is the president of Latvian Ice Hockey Federation and the Chairman of the Board of Latvia ...
, and gave a positive assessment of the way in which Latvia had carried out its obligations, while pointing out that Russian Latvians still faced some problems in
naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
and voting rights. He called on the country to discard its reservations to the
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) is a multilateral treaty of the Council of Europe aimed at protecting the minority rights, rights of minorities. It came into effect in 1998 and by 2009 it had been ratif ...
(in respect to the status of
Latvian language Latvian (, ), also known as Lettish, is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Indo-European language family. It is spoken in the Baltic region, and is the language of the Latvians. It is the official language of Latvia ...
as the sole language of administration), and to abandon the loyalty principle from its law on acquiring citizenship.
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (; born 1 December 1937) is a Latvian politician who served as the sixth president of Latvia from 1999 to 2007. She is the first and to date only woman to hold the post and the most recent to be re-elected for a second ter ...
indicated that the official status of Latvian was not subject for negotiation, and that
social integration Social integration is the process during which newcomers or minorities are incorporated into the social structure of the host society. Social integration, together with economic integration and identity integration, are three main dimensions o ...
was a priority for the leadership. Based on Frunda's memorandum to the Council of Europe, the Committee on the Honoring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States recommended an end to post-monitoring, although Frunda himself proposed to prolong post-monitoring. In November, as Russia prepared for taking over the presidency of the European Council's
Committee of Ministers The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe ( French: ''Comité des ministres du Conseil de l'Europe'') or Committee of Ministers ( French: ''Comité des ministres'') is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It comprises the Fo ...
, Frunda visited the country on behalf of the Monitoring Committee, and attempted to convince the Russian leadership to ratify the 6th additional protocol of the
European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is a Supranational law, supranational convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Draf ...
, restricting the application of the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
to times of war or national emergency (''see
Capital punishment in Russia Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Russia but is not used due to a Moratorium (law), moratorium and no death sentences or executions have been carried out Sergey Golovkin, since 2 August 1996. Russia has had an implicit moratorium in place s ...
''). Kristina Rodrigues
"APCE: la Russie doit abolir la peine de mort avant de prendre la présidence du CE" ("PACE: Russia Must Abolish the Death Penalty before Assuming the EC Presidency")
RIA Novosti RIA Novosti (), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (), is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013, by a decree of Vladimir Putin, it was liquidated and its assets and workforce were transferred to the newly created ...
, November 16, 2005 (republished by Peinedemort.org); retrieved July 6, 2007
While he clarified that the council was not going to sanction Russian representatives if the measure was not enforced, he argued that the country had to decide between siding with the majority of European states and the group of states represented by North Korea, China, and the United States.


Report on the "Concept of Nation"

In early February 2006, concluding his report on the "Concept of Nation", Frunda caused controversy in his country after promoting the PACE Recommendation 1735, which, through its reference to a previous PACE document, Recommendation 43 (1998), was interpreted as a call for ethnic and
regional autonomy Regional autonomy is the authority of a region to govern and administer the interests of the local people according to its own initiatives. 21st-century examples of disputes over autonomy include the Basque Country and Catalonia in Spain, Sici ...
in respect to regions such as
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
."Frunda: 'Eu nu reprezint România'" ("Frunda: 'I Do Not Represent Romania'")
in ''
Ziua ''Ziua'' ('', The Day'') was a major Romanian daily newspaper published in Bucharest. It was published in Romanian, with a fairly sizeable and often informative English section. ''Ziua'' was founded in 1994 by , eventually becoming foreign-owned ...
'', February 4, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
Nicoleta Nicolae
"Partidul lui Gușă cere Parlamentului să-l sancționeze pe György Frunda" ("Gușă's Party Asks Parliament to Reprimand György Frunda")
, in '' Realitatea Românească'', February 3, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
In addition, Frunda was quoted as saying he did not endorse the
nation-state A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly or ideally) con ...
as defined by the Romanian Constitution, and as stating "I do not represent Romania n the Council of Europe I am the head of the Romanian Delegation, elected by 10 members who represented Romania at a parliamentary level". In reaction, the
National Initiative Party The National Initiative Party (, PIN) was a small social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic demo ...
, represented by independent Romanian parliamentarians, called for Frunda to be reprimanded by the Senate. Replying, Frunda indicated that the Recommendation was ineffectual in respect to Romania, and pointed out that all states who agreed to join the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
implicitly accepted to delegate powers of their respective national governments, stressing that his argument about the nation-state made reference to this latter process. In the PACE Report, he concluded: "I do not think it is important to formulate a new concept of nation. The real issue behind the debate about a possible '21st century concept of nation' is not the definition itself, but the acceptance of a new way of thinking, of rethinking the nation, and specifically the transversality of the nation across boundaries – a nation often, but not always, deeply rooted in history. Following the two world wars in the 20th century, national borders were redrawn and, as a result, parts of the kin-state now live in the territory of one of the neighbouring states, where they represent 'national minorities or communities'". According to the text, "The purpose of all these recommendations is to ensure that the concepts of 'nation' and 'national community (minority)' are interpreted flexibly and in good faith and to foster a peaceful and tolerant climate between the majority and national minorities in every Council of Europe member state". Elaborating on the issue, he expressed his support for enlarging the concept of nation, for cultural autonomy, and for
multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...
György Frunda on the Concept of Nation
, Romanian Senate Session transcript, February 13, 2006, at the Chamber of Deputies site; retrieved July 6, 2007
(he stated: "Cultural autonomy means the right of a national minority, at a cultural level, for instance in schools, theaters and radio broadcasting, to decide for itself in the matter concerning it. It has nothing to do with territorial autonomy"). He later defined the way in which he was quoted by the press as "an injustice", and declared: "I have represented and will always represent my country, with dignity and in accordance with my best knowledge. But I have said, and it is true, that I did not draft this report as a Romanian senator, I have drafted it through appointment and with a mandate from the Council of Europe's Judicial Committee ... Frunda received support from UDMR president
Béla Markó Béla Markó (born 8 September 1951) is a Romanian politician and writer of Hungarian ethnicity. He is married with three children. He is reportedly, a follower of reformed Christianity. The former leader of the Democratic Alliance of Hungari ...
, who reacted to additional criticism from the Democratic Party's
Emil Boc Emil Boc (; born 6 September 1966) is a Romanian politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from 22 December 2008 until 6 February 2012 and is the current mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city of Transylvania, where he was first elected in J ...
, and indicated that he shared his colleague's views on the nation-state issue ("The concept of nation-state no longer exists in Europe")."Markó Béla: În loc de acuze nejustificate, György Frunda merită laude" ("Markó Béla: Instead of Unjustified Accusations, György Frunda Deserves Praises")
, HotNews.ro, February 7, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
He dismissed opposition to Frunda's attitude as "lectures in loyalty", and stated that Frunda's activity at the Council of Europe "deserves praise and appreciation".


Securitate file

A controversy was sparked in summer 2006, when files kept by the
Securitate The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...
(
Communist Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania (, RSR) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist One-party state, one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989 (see Revolutions of 1989). From 1947 to 1965, the state was ...
's
secret police image:Putin-Stasi-Ausweis.png, 300px, Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 1985 to 1989. Both organizations used similar forms of repression. Secre ...
) on Frunda and 28 other politicians, including the UDMR's Markó and Attila Verestóy, were
declassified Declassification is the process of ceasing a protective classification, often under the principle of freedom of information. Procedures for declassification vary by country. Papers may be withheld without being classified as secret, and event ...
by the
Romanian Intelligence Service The Romanian Intelligence Service (, abbreviated SRI) is Romania's main domestic intelligence service. Its role is to gather information relevant to national security and hand it over to relevant institutions, such as Romanian Government, presid ...
(SRI). Oana Dobre
"Frunda, și el în rețea" ("Frunda, Himself in the Network")
, in ''
Evenimentul Zilei ''Evenimentul Zilei'' is a formerly physical and now exclusively online newspaper in Romania. Its name translates to "The event of the day" or "Today's event". History and profile ''Evenimentul Zilei'' was founded by Ion Cristoiu, Cornel Nisto ...
'', August 10, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
Aniela Nine, Lavinia Dimancea
"Membrii CNSAS au intrat în silenzio stampa" ("CNSAS Members Have Engaged in a News Blackout")
, in ''
Jurnalul Național ''Jurnalul Național'' is a Romanian newspaper, part of the INTACT Media Group led by Dan Voiculescu, which also includes the popular television station Antena 1. The newspaper was launched in 1993. Its headquarters is in Bucharest Buchares ...
'', August 16, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
The opening of archived documents uncovered that Frunda had been the subject of a "network file" (a type of document which is generally associated with Securitate informants). Upon reviewing it, Frunda concluded that it was actually evidence of the Securitate having attempted and failed to enlist him, stressing that he never agreed to be drawn into collaboration. He added that he had signed two documents, confirming, respectively, his refusal to collaborate, and his pledge to maintain secrecy over having been contacted by the secret police. According to Frunda, only the latter document was present among those handed down by the SRI, which led him to question whether the file was complete. The matter was made more problematic by the fact that Frunda had a second file kept on him, which proved that he was also the object of Securitate surveillance. Ligia Voro
"Frunda, comisarul UDMR" ("Frunda, the UDMR Commissioner")
, in ''Zi de Zi'', October 3, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
Speaking at the time, the last Securitate chief for
Mureș County Mureș County (, , ) is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș. The county was established in 1968, after the administrative reor ...
, Gheorghe Mărieș, claimed that he had first-hand information regarding Frunda's status as an informant, George Rădulescu
"Șandru cere CNSAS redeschiderea cazului Frunda" ("Șandru Asks the CNSAS to Reopen the Frunda Case")
in ''
Adevărul (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Kingd ...
'', September 21, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
an allegation which the senator dismissed. In September, György Frunda was interpellated by the National Anticorruption Prosecution Office over, as indicated by Frunda's statement, "several parliamentary debates, regarding a number of parliamentarians"."György Frunda, interpelat de procurorii anticorupție pe teme 'parlamentare'" ("György Frunda, Interpellated by Anticorruption Prosecutors over 'Parliamentary' Issues")
,
Mediafax Mediafax () is a Romanian media company headquartered in Bucharest and founded in 1991 as the first undertaking of the MediaPro Group. Its lines of business include news, photography, and business information services. The company's ''Mediafax Bu ...
, September 13, 2006 (hosted by Kappa.ro); retrieved July 6, 2007
During the same period, he asked to be heard by the CNSAS, an institution charged with investigating Securitate affiliations, and declared to the press that he rejected all notion of ever having been an informant or collaborator of the Securitate (while indicating that public figures who stated otherwise were legally liable). The CNSAS ultimately cleared Frunda of the allegations (September 14, 2006), with six out of eight votes—the two abstaining members were
Mircea Dinescu Mircea Dinescu (; born November 11, 1950) is a Romanian poet, journalist, and editor. Biography Early life and poetry He was born in Slobozia, the son of Ștefan Dinescu, a metalworker, and Aurelia (born Badea). Dinescu studied at the Faculty ...
and Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu. Oana Dobre
"Frunda, albit de CNSAS" ("Frunda, Whitewashed by the CNSAS")
, in ''
Evenimentul Zilei ''Evenimentul Zilei'' is a formerly physical and now exclusively online newspaper in Romania. Its name translates to "The event of the day" or "Today's event". History and profile ''Evenimentul Zilei'' was founded by Ion Cristoiu, Cornel Nisto ...
'', September 15, 2006; retrieved July 6, 2007
Adriana Duțu
"'Desuurile' Colegiului, scoase la vedere!" ("The CNSAS' 'Laundry', Out in Public!")
in ''
Curentul ''Curentul'' is a Romanian newspaper, based in Bucharest. It was founded in January 1928 by Pamfil Șeicaru and relaunched in October 1997. Before 1944, Șeicaru had written daily the main editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or ...
'', September 22, 2006 (hosted by 9am.ro); retrieved July 6, 2007
According to ''
Evenimentul Zilei ''Evenimentul Zilei'' is a formerly physical and now exclusively online newspaper in Romania. Its name translates to "The event of the day" or "Today's event". History and profile ''Evenimentul Zilei'' was founded by Ion Cristoiu, Cornel Nisto ...
'', the deliberation was tense, with Dinescu and Dumitrescu reportedly protesting the verdict during the actual procedures. Several days later, Dinescu, who took the decision of exposing what he saw as the CNSAS' problems, clarified his position in the case involving Frunda: "It was a complicated file and I could not vote in clear conscience, not knowing certain details". The
National Initiative Party The National Initiative Party (, PIN) was a small social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic demo ...
's Raluca Șandru, an independent member of the Chamber, publicly appealed for the CNSAS to reconsider its decision and recall Frunda for questioning. In early October, Frunda also proposed that the law regulating CNSAS activities be amended, in order to automatically include among Securitate collaborators those members of the
Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...
who held political offices at a central, regional, or local level, and who took part in decision-making regarding political repression."Senatorii juriști au eliminat sintagma 'poliție politică' din Legea CNSAS" ("Senators-Jurists Have Stricken Out the Notion of 'Political Policing' from the CNSAS Law")
Mediafax Mediafax () is a Romanian media company headquartered in Bucharest and founded in 1991 as the first undertaking of the MediaPro Group. Its lines of business include news, photography, and business information services. The company's ''Mediafax Bu ...
, October 11, 2006 (hosted by Infopolitic.ro); retrieved July 6, 2007
The project drew opposition from the
Social Democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
senator Șerban Nicolae, who argued that the text was purposely designed to incriminate former
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as the second president of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, ...
. Defending his bill, Frunda stressed that "it would be hypocritical to condemn Securitate cadres, but not their bosses". In addition, he proposed changes to define as Securitate collaborators those who had acted "with intent".


2007 debates

Later in the same month, in preparation for Romania's accession to the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, he was nominated by the UDMR for a position in the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
(the
National Liberal National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism). A serie ...
Varujan Vosganian was selected for the post, before being replaced by Leonard Orban). Speaking in February 2007, Frunda criticized members of his party for having failed to promote a challenger for Markó during elections for its presidency. Adrian Giurgea
"György Frunda critică lipsa competiției pentru șefia UDMR" ("György Frunda Criticized the Lack of Competition for the UDMR's Leadership")
, in ''
Curentul ''Curentul'' is a Romanian newspaper, based in Bucharest. It was founded in January 1928 by Pamfil Șeicaru and relaunched in October 1997. Before 1944, Șeicaru had written daily the main editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or ...
'', February 5, 2007; retrieved July 6, 2007
Referring to the UDMR faction formed around
Sándor Kónya-Hamar Sándor Kónya-Hamar (born September 5, 1948, in Lunca Mureșului, Alba County) is an ethnic Hungarian politician in Romania and Member of the European Parliament. He is a member of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, part of the Europ ...
, Tibor Toró, and Péter Eckstein-Kovács, he argued its alleged policy of "not providing viable written-down alternatives denotes tspolitical weakness". During spring, Frunda supported his party's option to
impeach Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Euro ...
President
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a Romanian politician who served as the president of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian minister of transport on multiple occasions between 1991 and 2000, ...
for allegedly unconstitutional conduct. Before the May referendum reconfirmed Băsescu, Frunda commented on the UDMR's choice before
TVR 1 TVR 1 (; spelled out as ''Televiziunea Română 1'', "Romanian Television 1") is the main channel of the Romanian public broadcaster TVR. The most important show of the channel is Jurnalul TVR, whose motto is ("The news journal as it should ...
cameras, confronted with the pro-Băsescu intellectual
Gabriel Liiceanu Gabriel Liiceanu (; b. May 23, 1942, Râmnicu Vâlcea) is a Romanian philosopher. He graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Philosophy in 1965, and from Faculty of Classical Languages in 1973. He earned a doctorate in philosoph ...
. On the occasion, Liiceanu asked Frunda to explain how the UDMR could tolerate being on the same pro-impeachment camp as the
Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party (, PRM) is a Romanian far-right political party. Founded in May 1991 by Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor, it was led by the latter from that point until his death in September 2015. The party is sometimes referred ...
; according to ''
Dilema Veche ''Dilema veche'' ( English: "Old Dilemma") is a Romanian weekly magazine that covers culture, social topics, and politics. It was founded in 2004 as the successor to the magazine ''Dilema'', which was founded in 1993. Both magazines were founded by ...
'' political commentator Cristian Ghinea, the reply was unsatisfactory. Cristian Ghinea
"Cine cu cine" ("Who with Whom")
in ''
Dilema Veche ''Dilema veche'' ( English: "Old Dilemma") is a Romanian weekly magazine that covers culture, social topics, and politics. It was founded in 2004 as the successor to the magazine ''Dilema'', which was founded in 1993. Both magazines were founded by ...
'', Nr. 169, May 2007; retrieved January 11, 2011
Ghinea sarcastically noted that there was an additional paradox to be noted, since the Greater Romania agenda was "anti-
mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...
", whereas Frunda "now seems to me the most cleaned-up front for the corrupt system." In June–July 2007, Frunda was at the center of a controversy provoked when
Dick Marty Dick Marty (7 January 1945 – 28 December 2023) was a Swiss politician ( FDP.The Liberals) and state prosecutor of the canton of Ticino. He was a member of the Swiss Council of States (from 1995 to 2011) and of the Parliamentary Assembly of t ...
, a
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
representative to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, publicized his report on the existence of black sites allegedly maintained by the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
in several
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
an countries (Romania included). As Romanian authorities denied the charge, National Liberal senator
Norica Nicolai Norica Nicolai (born January 27, 1958) is a Romanian lawyer and politician. An independent who previously belonged to the National Liberal Party (PNL) and before that the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNŢ-CD), she was a member o ...
accused Frunda of wanting to discredit Romania by providing Marty with necessary information; in response, Frunda argued that this actually had been furnished by the Romanian institutions, which, he indicated, had a duty to report them. On July 3, 2007, the Democratic Party representatives to the Parliamentary Assembly asked the Romanian Parliament to recall Frunda from his leadership of the delegation, claiming that he had been absent from the Judicial Committee during deliberations over Marty's report (they also indicated that they were not going to attend meetings at the Council of Europe until Marty would come and verify his conclusions on the spot)."PD cere înlocuirea lui Frunda de la șefia Delegației la APCE" ("PD Asks for Frunda to Be Recalled from the Leadership of the PACE Delegation")
, Realitatea, July 3, 2007; retrieved July 6, 2007
Chamber leader Bogdan Olteanu, a member of the National Liberal Party, criticized the decision, indicating that such resolutions could only be initiated by Parliament.


2007–2008 candidatures and new Senate term

Frunda ran on the UDMR list for the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
election of November 2007. The election was marked by László Tőkés' decision to run as an independent, which caused the UDMR to express its disappointment. Upon announcing his own candidature in September, György Frunda indicated that having two contenders from the Hungarian minority could result in the community not being at all represented in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, and argued that Tőkés would have done best to withdraw from the race. Frunda eventually won the MEP seat but, on December 1, 2007, announced that he was giving it up in favor of party colleague
Iuliu Winkler Iuliu Winkler (born 14 March 1964) is a Romanian engineer, economist and politician. A member of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Hunedoa ...
, explaining that he was being instead considered for the presidency of the PACE Judicial Committee. He stated: "I have decided it was more important for me and for the Hungarian community in Romania and, not least, for Romania, if I were to take up he PACEoffice." Frunda was subsequently involved in discussions about
prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, reduce recidivism or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are ...
, speaking in favor of judicial methods to tackle the widespread inmate overcrowding, and supporting a more generalized use of
parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
. Frunda again won a Senate seat after running in the November 2008 election, the first such suffrage to result in
mixed member proportional representation Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP or MMPR) is a type of representation provided by some mixed electoral system, mixed electoral systems which combine local Winner-take-all system, winner-take-all elections with a Compensation (el ...
at a newly established
electoral college An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...
level. In Mureș County, the three main UDMR contenders for the electoral college seats were himself, Béla Markó, and
László Borbély László Borbély (born March 26, 1954) is a Romanian economist and politician. A member of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), he has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Mureș ...
. In October, before Social Democratic leader
Mircea Geoană Dan Mircea Geoană (; born 14 July 1958) is a Romanian politician and diplomat who served as the Secretary General of NATO, deputy secretary general of NATO between 2019 and 2024. He previously served as president of the Senate of Romania from D ...
was elected Senate Chairman, Béla Markó had announced that he favored Frunda for that office, were UDMR in a position to nominate a candidate. Frunda's new term in the Senate was touched by controversy. Shortly after he returned to his seat, his new statement of financial interests revealed that he is by far the richest parliamentarian in Mureș. In June 2009, a Parliament administrative report showed that his office had cost the public 103,197 new lei in state-funded expenses (the costliest mandate). In July 2010, Frunda introduced law amendments which drastically limited powers for the government-backed National Integrity Agency (ANI), an organism previously charged with verifying the assets and revenue statements of politicians; his objections were passed into law, mainly with backing from the opposition Social Democrats and the National Liberals, and with additional votes from the governing Democratic Liberal Party and UDMR. The anti-ANI legislation, unsuccessfully rejected by President Băsescu, was received with strong criticism by various journalists, political commentators and
civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Revista 22 ''Revista 22'' (''22 Magazine'') is a Romanian weekly magazine, issued by the Group for Social Dialogue and focused mainly on politics and culture. History and profile ''Revista 22'' was started in 1990. The first edition of the magazine was prin ...
'' panelist Andreea Pora summarized Frunda's attempts to fight the ANI law, dating back to Monica Macovei's 2005 proposals, and described Frunda as a "
devil's advocate The (Latin for Devil's advocate) is a former official position within the Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith: one who "argued against the canonization (sainthood) of a candidate to uncover any character flaws or misrepresentation of th ...
" for those who wanted "a free passage to deals, wrongdoings and theft". She also noted that the senator was himself a reputed target for ANI investigators. Andreea Pora
"ANI sugrumată cu mâna lui Frunda" ("ANI Strangled by the Hand of Frunda")
, in ''
Revista 22 ''Revista 22'' (''22 Magazine'') is a Romanian weekly magazine, issued by the Group for Social Dialogue and focused mainly on politics and culture. History and profile ''Revista 22'' was started in 1990. The first edition of the magazine was prin ...
'', Nr. 1061, July 2010; retrieved January 11, 2011
Writing in 2002 for ''
România Literară ''România Literară'' is a cultural and literary magazine from Romania. In its original edition, it was founded on 1 January 1855 by Vasile Alecsandri and published in Iași until 3 December 1855, when it was suppressed. The new series appeared ...
'' review, academic
Mircea Mihăieș Mircea is a Romanian language, Romanian masculine given name, a form of the South Slavic name, South Slavic name Mirče (Мирче) that derives from the Slavic word ''mir'', meaning 'peace'. It may refer to: People Princes of Wallachia * M ...
contrasted Frunda's "new tone and elegance" of the 1990s with his support of Social Democratic moves to keep dignitaries' fortunes under secrecy. Cristian Ghinea, who spoke of several attempts on Frunda's part to redefine the scope of ANI investigations as favoring the corrupt under the pretext of human rights concerns (and against the scope of European monitoring), ridiculed the association of interests between Frunda and the new National Liberal leader,
Crin Antonescu George Crin Laurențiu Antonescu (; born 21 September 1959) is a Romanian politician and history teacher who served as Acting President of Romania in 2012. He was also candidate in the 2009 and 2025 presidential elections, finishing both in thir ...
. Shortly after the Senate vote, Democratic Liberal Party senator
Iulian Urban Iulian is a masculine Romanian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Iulian Arhire (1976), Romanian former professional footballer *Iulian Dumitraș (1982), Romanian rugby union player *Iulian Filipescu (1974), former Romanian football ...
, who had abstained, denounced a political deal between his own group and the UDMR, through which Frunda was selected to uphold a measure coveted by PDL representatives, but unpopular with the electorate. Himself hailing from Democratic Liberal politics, President Băsescu also went on record with a claim that, in proposing the vote, Frunda had acted "against Romania's interests", compromising its standing and credibility within the European Union. Frunda ran for mayor of Târgu Mureș at the June 2012 local election. He finished in second place with 37.3% of the vote, while incumbent Dorin Florea was re-elected with just over half of ballots cast."Dorin Florea a câștigat un nou mandat la Târgu Mureș " ("Dorin Florea Wins a New Term in Târgu Mureș")
in ''
Evenimentul Zilei ''Evenimentul Zilei'' is a formerly physical and now exclusively online newspaper in Romania. Its name translates to "The event of the day" or "Today's event". History and profile ''Evenimentul Zilei'' was founded by Ion Cristoiu, Cornel Nisto ...
'', June 11, 2012; retrieved June 14, 2012


Presidential elections


References


External links

*
Official site

Profile at the Council of Europe


{{DEFAULTSORT:Frunda, Gyoergy 1951 births Living people 20th-century Romanian lawyers Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania politicians Candidates for President of Romania Members of the Senate of Romania Babeș-Bolyai University alumni People from Târgu Mureș Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil)