Radu Câmpeanu
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Radu-Anton Câmpeanu (; 28 February 1922 – 19 October 2016) was a Romanian
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
who was also
jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...
and
economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
by profession, after graduating from the
University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
(UB) in November 1945, specializing in
constitutional right A constitutional right can be a prerogative or a duty, a power or a restraint of power, recognized and established by a sovereign state or union of states. Constitutional rights may be expressly stipulated in a national constitution, or they may ...
. During the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
and up until 1945, he was the leader of the National Liberal students' association at nationwide level (the equivalent of today's National Liberal Youth Wing or TNL for short). While in exile abroad in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, at some point in time due to the exile of
Paul Goma Paul Goma (; October 2, 1935 – March 24, 2020) was a Romanian writer, known for his activities as a dissident and leading opponent of the communist regime before 1989. Forced into exile by the communist authorities, he became a political refug ...
and his arrival in France as well, Câmpeanu was suspected to have become an informer of 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 ...
a (the Romanian
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
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 ...
), but no conclusive evidence had been produced to support this allegation. Throughout his years of exile, he had worked as an editorialist and as a collaborator for a Radio Univers as well as for
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 ...
and
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. In addition, during the 1980s (for a period of time of seven years), he also worked as an editorialist for his own newspaper, entitled B.I.R.E. (i.e. ''Buletinul de Informație pentru Români în Exil'' or ''The Bulletin of Information for Romanians in exile''). Furthermore, while still in exile, Radu Câmpeanu was the president of the Association of Former Political Detainees from Romania () as well as a member of the Thinking and Action Liberal Club (, also known as Clubul de Acțiune și Gândire Liberală Românească, Clubul Liberal Român, or Clubul Liberal). Câmpeanu was the first president of the contemporary National Liberal Party (PNL) whose term unfolded between 1990 and 1993, a political party he helped re-found in early January 1990, shortly after the fall of communism, as well as a
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
on behalf of the PNL between
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
and
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
, and then once more between
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
. During the early 1990s, Câmpeanu served as one of the 5 vice-presidents of the Provisional National Unity Council (), also known as CPUN for short, a position which could be equated with that of state vice-president. Câmpeanu participated in the first Romanian presidential debate after 1989, alongside
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, ...
of the National Salvation Front (FSN) and
Ion Rațiu Ion Rațiu (; 6 June 1917 – 17 January 2000) was a Romanian lawyer, diplomat, journalist, businessman, writer, and politician. In addition, he was the official presidential candidate of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚCD ...
of the
Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party The Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (, PNÈšCD) is an agrarianism, agrarian and Christian democracy, Christian democratic list of political parties in Romania, political party in Romania. It claims to be the rightful successor of t ...
(PNȚCD), held on 17 May 1990. Câmpeanu subsequently came in second after Ion Iliescu in the 1990 Romanian presidential election with 1,529,188 votes or 10.64%. As a politician, according to him, he was a supporter of dialogue between people who have contrary opinions.


Early political career and incarceration in communist Romania

Radu Câmpeanu was the leader of the National Liberal students' league at nationwide level before
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 ...
. On 8 November 1945, several months after the end of World War II, Câmpeanu participated in the first street protest of the civil society (encompassing both students and workers) which were organised in Bucharest against the forcefully-established communist regime by the
Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...
in the
Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...
. The respective manifestation was also one of support for
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Michael I Michael I may refer to: * Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767 * Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844) * Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantinop ...
. According to Câmpeanu himself, there were between 1,200 and 1,500 students from various university centres who participated in the respective protest which was held on 8 November 1945. Two years later, in 1947, he was incarcerated 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 ...
(as many other non- and anti-communist politicians from the historical PNL and PNÈš) and sent to forced labour for 15 years in the construction of the
Danube–Black Sea Canal The Danube–Black Sea Canal () is a navigable canal in Romania, which runs from Cernavodă on the Danube river, via two branches, to Constanța and Năvodari on the Black Sea. Administered from Agigea, it is an important part of the waterway li ...
. Câmpeanu was freed in 1956, 6 years ahead of the planned authoritarian sentence, as part of the de-Stalinization process which the
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 ...
(RPR) undertook during the late 1950s (in essence, a policy of distancing itself from
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
's control, thereby breaking free from the USSR satellite status).


Life in exile in France

On 30 July 1973, with financial help on behalf of his family from abroad (more specifically, from
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
), Câmpeanu (at that time aged 55) managed to leave
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 ...
for
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
alongside his first wife, Monica Papadopol, and their son, Barbu. The three were ransomed in exchange for approximately 10,000
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
. Câmpeanu remained very active amongst Romanian exiles in
Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...
up until 1990, when he returned to his home country in the wake of the
Romanian Revolution The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...
of 1989. While he was away in exile in France, he would lead such
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
and anti-totalitarian organisations as the Community of Romanians in France (), the National Romanian Council (), and the ''Union of Free Romanians'' (). He was subsequently awarded
French citizenship French nationality law is historically based on the principles of ''jus soli'' (Latin for "right of soil") and ''jus sanguinis'', (Latin for "right of blood") according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the German definition of nat ...
upon personal request, three years after his initial arrival in France, while not forfeiting his native Romanian one in the process. This later allowed him to be a member of the
Union for French Democracy The Union for French Democracy ( ; UDF) was a centre-right political party in France. The UDF was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over ...
(UDF), a center-right and liberal political party which was presided by former
French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, ; ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as simply Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Ministry of the Economy ...
. On the occasion of an interview given in March 2010 for the Romanian documentary project "Capete Înfierbântate 13-15 iunie 1990", Câmpeanu stated that he was invited at party meetings and political debates in the
Parliament of France The French Parliament (, ) is the bicameral parliament of the French Fifth Republic, consisting of the Senate (), and the National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at separate locations in Paris: the Senate meets in the ...
by the Union for French Democracy as an ordinary member. Furthermore, he also stated that he was subsequently invited at political debates in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
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 ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, thereby enjoying the overall civilised atmosphere from there.


Return to post-1989 Romania and late political career

Câmpeanu returned to Romania in early January 1990, right after the
Romanian Revolution The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...
of December 1989. He immediately set out to re-found the National Liberal Party (PNL), alongside other former liberals who had been incarcerated by the communist authorities, such as ,
Sorin Bottez Sorin Bottez (born Sorin-Mircea Bottez; 2 June 1930 – 31 July 2009) was a Romanian politician who stemmed from the National Liberal Party (PNL). During the post-war period, he was vice-president of the National Liberal Youth (). Biography In ...
,
Ionel Săndulescu Ionel ''I.V.'' Săndulescu is a Romanian politician who stems from the National Liberal Party (PNL) and was previously elected senator in the Romanian Senate in the 1990–1992 legislature. He was one of the 12 re-founding members of the National ...
,
Nicolae Enescu Nicolae Enescu (26 November 1911 – 1993) was a Romanian politician who stemmed from the National Liberal Party (PNL) and was one of its re-founding members in early 1990, in the wake of the 1989 Romanian Revolution. He was subsequently elected d ...
, and Dinu Zamfirescu. Câmpeanu ran against
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, ...
in the 1990 Romanian presidential election, on behalf of the PNL while being at the same time endorsed by 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/RMDSZ) and the
Ecologist Party of Romania The Romanian Ecologist Party (, PER) is an ecologist and currently mostly conservative and green conservative political party in Romania, member of the AER Alliance for Romania (''Alianța AER pentru România)''. Without parliamentary represen ...
(PER) respectively. He finished second with 10.64%, or 1,529,188 votes. Subsequently, he retained the honorific title of "1990 Founding President" of the party and was a member in the Central Political Bureau of the PNL up until his death in October 2016. During the early 1990s, he was the vice-president of the
Provisional Council of National Unity The Provisional Council of National Unity (PCNU; , ) was a provisional governmental body during the early 1990s in Romania. At that time, it was headed by Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer w ...
() in the
Parliament of Romania The Parliament of Romania () is the national Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania), Chamber of Deputies () and the Senate of Romania, Senate (). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament i ...
as well as the vice-president of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
between 1990 and 1992. Also, during his term as PNL president, the National Liberal Party acceded to governance in the relatively technocratic national union government led by National Salvation Front (FSN)
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Theodor Stolojan Theodor Dumitru Stolojan (; born 24 October 1943) is a Romanian politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from September 1991 to November 1992. An economist by training, he was also one of the presidents of the National Liberal Party (PNL) be ...
between 1991 and 1992. After 1993, when he lost the presidency of the PNL to his older colleague Mircea Ionescu-Quintus, Câmpeanu left the party along with a group of followers to establish a splinter political party called PNL-C () which, after 10 years, would be re-integrated within the main PNL. Additionally, in 1991, Câmpeanu withdrew the PNL from 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 ...
(CDR) mainly because of the CDR's integration of the UDMR and the lack of will on behalf of Câmpeanu to run on common lists along with the Hungarian minority's ethnic party for the
Parliament of Romania The Parliament of Romania () is the national Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania), Chamber of Deputies () and the Senate of Romania, Senate (). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament i ...
, as later stated by Câmpeanu himself in an edition of the ''Milionarii de la miezul nopții'' (''Midnight millionaires''; the predecessor of
Marius Tucă Marius Tucă (born 29 July 1966) is a Romanian journalist and TV host. He was born in Caracal, Olt County. He distinguished himself in the 1990s as a political analyst and a TV host. He also contributed to the transformation of the ''Jurnalul Na ...
Show) at some point during the late 1990s. This resulted in several splinters from the PNL which would eventually join the CDR, most notably PNL-CD led by
Niculae Cerveni Niculae Cerveni (born 19 March 1926 in Cervenia, Teleorman, Kingdom of Romania–deceased 16 January 2004 in Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian lawyer and politician who served both as deputy and senator during the 1990s. Political activity H ...
. Other PNL splinter groups which decided to remain within the CDR were PNL-AT and PL '93. Subsequently, Câmpeanu ran for a second time for
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 ...
on 3 November 1996, when he was supported by PNL-C and the Green Alternative Ecologists' Party () under the official platform ''
National Liberal Ecologist Alliance The National Liberal Ecologist Alliance (, ANLE) was a minor political and electoral alliance in Romania which was formed in 1996 by the National Liberal Party–Câmpeanu (, PNL-C) and the Green Party ( as it was then known, or PV for short nowaday ...
'' (). He failed to gain enough votes to enter a second round and obtained a very feeble total amount of 0.3% of all ballots cast in the first round, ranking 12th. At some point in the 1990s, Câmpeanu also proposed a possible candidacy of
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Michael I Michael I may refer to: * Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767 * Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844) * Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantinop ...
for president, which was met with harsh criticism on behalf of both his fellow party colleagues and a vast amount of the electorate and civil society.


As leader of PNL-C between 1995 and 2003

From 1995 up until 2003, Radu Câmpeanu was the leader of a splinter liberal party issued from the main PNL which was called
National Liberal Party–Câmpeanu National Liberal Party–Câmpeanu (; ) was a national liberalism, national liberal, conservative liberalism, conservative liberal, and classical liberalism, classical liberal List of political parties in Romania, political party in Romania which ...
(). Throughout the 1990s, PNL-C refused to be (re)integrated within the main PNL and partake in the CDR-led governance from 1996 to 2000. However, it did contest the 1996 general and
local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
where it scored very modest results. More specifically, PNL-C won only 15 mayoral seats in 1996 and failed to gain any parliamentary presence as the National Liberal Ecologist Alliance (ANLE), with a very feeble electoral score of 0.79% for the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
and 0.70% for the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
respectively. At the 2000 general election, PNL-C scored better than it did in 1996, ranking 9th with 1.22% at the Senate and 1.40% at the Chamber. Nonetheless, these results were still very modest and beneath the then parliamentarian threshold of 3%. In 2003, PNL-C merged with the main PNL and Câmpeanu was elected senator in the 2004–2008 legislature in the
Romanian Parliament The Parliament of Romania () is the national bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies () and the Senate (). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, the capital. Prior to the modification of the Cons ...
on behalf of the
Justice and Truth Alliance The Justice and Truth Alliance (originally in ; or D.A. for short, meaning "yes" in Romanian) was a political alliance comprising two political parties in Romania, namely the centre-right liberal National Liberal Party (PNL) and the initially l ...
(DA).


Post-2008 involvement within the PNL

After 2008, Radu Câmpeanu did not run for another term as senator but gained the position of honorary founding president of the PNL until his death in 2016. In 2012, while talking about the 2014 presidential election, Câmpeanu stated that he did not think that "Romanians will vote for
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 ...
" (in the hypothesis that the latter would have been the designated candidate of the party back then again), a statement which outraged then incumbent PNL leader. Furthermore, as stated by him back then, he had correctly affirmed that the
Social Liberal Union The Social Liberal Union (, USL) was a grand coalition of several political parties which was active in Romania during the early to mid 2010s. The alliance contained two major political parties, one major centre-left and one centre-right, more sp ...
(USL) will survive only as long as the peril of Băsescu's power will linger on.


Criticism

During the 1990s, Radu Câmpeanu was heavily criticised because of his subsequent closeness towards Ion Iliescu's National Salvation Front (FSN) in the
Provisional Council of National Unity The Provisional Council of National Unity (PCNU; , ) was a provisional governmental body during the early 1990s in Romania. At that time, it was headed by Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer w ...
(CPUN) and the membership of the PNL within the Stolojan Cabinet as well as because of the withdrawal of the PNL from 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 ...
(CDR) prior to the
1992 Romanian general election General elections were held in Romania on 27 September 1992, with a second round of the presidential election on 11 October. They were the first held after the adoption of Constitution of Romania, a permanent constitution via a referendum held 19 ...
. He was therefore seen as an instrument of the neo-communists at the time. This eventually led to his downfall as PNL president in 1993, being replaced by Mircea Ionescu-Quintus during the same year. Additionally, Câmpeanu was criticised for proposing
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
for president in 1992, but his majesty refused. This proved to be a major political and electoral error for the PNL as during that year's presidential election the party did not bring forth any candidate, failing also to enter the parliament, thereby scoring under the threshold of 3%.


Family

Radu Câmpeanu was the son of former
Dâmbovița County Dâmbovița County (; also spelt Dîmbovița) is a county () of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște, the most important economic, political, administrative and cultural center of the county. It is a traditional administra ...
PNL prefect Dumitru Câmpeanu. Radu Câmpeanu is survived by one son, Barbu Câmpeanu, who is a university professor in France at
École polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...
in
Palaiseau Palaiseau () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Palaiseau is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Palaiseau. Palaiseau was a royal doma ...
, a southern suburb of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.


Publications

In 1995, Radu Câmpeanu published a book entitled "Cu gândul la țară" (i.e. ''Thinking of the country''), after the electoral slogan with which he ran for president back in 1990 (during that year's Romanian presidential election). The book was edited and published by the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
(CBC) and has a total length of 144 pages. The volume includes editorials published by him during the 1980s while in exile in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
for his publication entitled B.I.R.E. (i.e. ''Buletinul de Informație pentru Români în Exil'' or ''The Bulletin of Information for Romanians in exile''). It represents a harsh criticism towards the political establishment of the
Socialist Republic of 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 ...
(RSR), 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 ...
(PCR), and former dictator
Nicolae CeauÈ™escu Nicolae CeauÈ™escu ( ; ;  â€“ 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...
in particular. For example, one of the harshest critics that Câmpeanu described in detail regarding the illicit communist regime at that time was the poor and delayed information service of the then Romanian authorities regarding the
Chernobyl disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...
in 1986. On the other hand and in stark contrast, he praised and expressed solidarity for the
Brașov rebellion Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 census, with 237,589 inhabitants, Brașov is ...
which took place one year later in 1987 in
Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
. Câmpeanu also expressed solidarity for the
Jiu Valley miners' strike of 1977 The Jiu Valley miners' strike of 1977 was the largest protest movement against the Communist Romania, Communist regime in Romania before its Romanian Revolution of 1989, final days.Deletant, p. 243 It took place 1–3 August 1977 and was centered i ...
in his newspaper, B.I.R.E. Therefore, Câmpeanu perceived the communist regime as immoral, brutal, criminal, and catastrophic for Romania. At the time of the release of "Cu gândul la țară" (namely in 1995), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) publishing house had another volume penned by Câmpeanu in works, announced then to be soon published, which was titled "O viață pentru România" (i.e. ''A life for Romania'').


Honours

* : **
National Order of Faithful Service The National Order of Faithful Service () is the second highest national order of Romania after the Order of the Star of Romania, and the third highest State decoration, with the Order of Michael the Brave being the first. Originally it was establ ...
, Rank of Knight (5 December 2002)


Electoral history


Presidential elections

Notes: 1 The National Liberal Ecologist Alliance (ANLE) consisted of the
National Liberal Party–Câmpeanu National Liberal Party–Câmpeanu (; ) was a national liberalism, national liberal, conservative liberalism, conservative liberal, and classical liberalism, classical liberal List of political parties in Romania, political party in Romania which ...
(PNL-C) and the Green Alternative Ecologists' Party (, PAV-E).


Notes


References


External links

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Radu Anton Câmpeanu Sinteza activității parlamentare în legislatura 2004-2008
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Campeanu, Radu 1922 births 2016 deaths People from Dâmbovița County University of Bucharest alumni Romanian anti-communists Romanian dissidents Romanian prisoners and detainees People detained by the Securitate Inmates of the Danube–Black Sea Canal Romanian emigrants to France National Liberal Party (Romania) politicians Chairpersons of the National Liberal Party (Romania) Members of the Senate of Romania Burials at Bellu Cemetery