Hungarian Civic Party (Romania)

Hungarian Civic Party Partidul Civic Maghiar Magyar Polgári Párt
President	Zsolt Bíró
Founded	2008 (2008)[1]
Dissolved	November 2022
Merged into	Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania
Headquarters	Odorheiu Secuiesc
Ideology	Székely autonomy Regionalism Social conservatism[2]
Political position	Right-wing
Colours	Red, white and green
Website
http://www.polgaripart.ro/
Politics of Romania Political parties Elections

The Hungarian Civic Party (Hungarian: Magyar Polgári Párt, [ˈmɒɟɒr ˈpolɡaːri ˈpaːrt], Romanian: Partidul Civic Maghiar) was a political party of the Hungarian minority in Romania. It was founded in 2001 as the Hungarian Civic Union and was formally registered as a party on March 14, 2008.^[3] It positions itself as an alternative to the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), the largest party representing Romania's Hungarian minority.

Party was dissolved after merge with Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania to form Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania in November 2022.^[4]

Platform

The Hungarian Civic Party's main objective is territorial autonomy for the Székely Land, a region in central Romania which has a Hungarian majority.

In August 2021, the Party announced a law similar to Hungary's anti-LGBT law.^[5][6]

Electoral performance

At the 2004 local elections, the majority of Hungarian Civic Union candidates were enrolled as independents or on common lists with the People's Action (AP) party. The best result was obtained in Harghita County, where three HCU candidates were elected to the county council. Jenő Szász, the president of the HCU, was also re-elected as mayor of Odorheiu Secuiesc, with 51.5%^[7] of the vote.

The party presented candidates to the 2008 local elections, gaining approximately 37% of the vote in the Székely Land, but did not participate in the nationwide 2008 Romanian legislative elections to Parliament in Bucharest.

Cooperation with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania

In 2014, the Hungarian Civic Party signed a settlement with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) about cooperation and joint support for Hungarian autonomy.^[8]

For the EP election 2019, the MPP tried to create a joint list with the RMDSZ, but failed. The chairman of the MPP, said that they would encourage their sympathisers to go to the election and vote in such a way that there would be a "stronger Hungarian representation" in the European Parliament.^[9]

Notes

1. (in Romanian) S-a inregistrat Partidul Civic Maghiar Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, 27 May 2008
2. "'Nationalist' and far-right politicians try to push anti-LGBTQ law in Romania". 12 August 2021.
3. (in Romanian) Partidul Civic Maghiar, partid cu acte, Evenimentul Zilei, 14 March 2008
4. "Două partide maghiare din România au fuzionat. Noul partid se numește Alianța Maghiară din Transilvania (AMT) și promovează autonomia" (in Romanian). G4Media.ro. 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
5. "Will Romania step up anti-LGBTQ legislation like Hungary? | DW | 11.08.2021". Deutsche Welle.
6. "'Nationalist' and far-right politicians try to push anti-LGBTQ law in Romania". 12 August 2021.
7. (in Hungarian)http://helyhatosagi.adatbank.transindex.ro/belso2004.php?bontas=telep%7Cpolgarmt%7C21%7C3, 27 May 2008
8. "Jövő héten egyeztet az MPP és az RMDSZ az autonómia-tervezetről". transindex.ro. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
9. "Nem tudott megállapodni a koalíciós EP-választási listáról az MPP és az RMDSZ".