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| '''Gheorghe Funar''' (b. ], ] in ]) is a ] ]n politician, who rose to fame as mayor of ] between ] and ]. | '''Gheorghe Funar''' (b. ], ] in ]) is a ] ]n politician, who rose to fame as mayor of ] between ] and ]. | ||
| He became well-known for his very strong nationalist stance in favor of ethnic ] in ], which is a multi-ethnic city with a large ethnic ] majority (79.39%) and a significant ethnic ] population (18.96%). Other ethnic groups include 0.95% ] and 0.23% ]. ] was part of Hungary (which was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1867 and 1918), and the union of the region with Romania in 1918 was perceived as a significant loss by many Hungarians who viewed it as an integral part of Hungary, despite the fact that the majority of the Transylvanian population was ethnic Romanian. | He became well-known for his very strong nationalist stance in favor of ethnic ] in ], which is a multi-ethnic city with a large ethnic ] majority (79.39%) and a significant ethnic ] population (18.96%). Other ethnic groups include 0.95% ] and 0.23% ]. ] was part of Hungary (which was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1867 and 1918), and the union of the region with Romania in 1918 was perceived as a significant loss by many Hungarians who viewed it as an integral part of Hungary, despite the fact that the absolute majority of the Transylvanian population was ethnic Romanian. | ||
| Funar was a candidate for presidency from ] ("The Romanian National Unity Party") in ] and ]. In ], after he was expelled from PUNR, he joined the far-right ]. Funar lost the Cluj-Napoca mayoral elections in the first round in ]. ] of the ] Alliance won the elections during the second round run-off elections against Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate ]. | Funar was a candidate for presidency from ] ("The Romanian National Unity Party") in ] and ]. In ], after he was expelled from PUNR, he joined the far-right ]. Funar lost the Cluj-Napoca mayoral elections in the first round in ]. ] of the ] Alliance won the elections during the second round run-off elections against Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate ]. | ||
Revision as of 11:20, 18 December 2006
Gheorghe Funar (b. September 29, 1949 in Sânnicolau Mare) is a nationalist Romanian politician, who rose to fame as mayor of Cluj-Napoca between 1992 and 2004.
He became well-known for his very strong nationalist stance in favor of ethnic Romanians in Cluj-Napoca, which is a multi-ethnic city with a large ethnic Romanian majority (79.39%) and a significant ethnic Hungarian population (18.96%). Other ethnic groups include 0.95% Roma and 0.23% Germans. Transylvania was part of Hungary (which was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1867 and 1918), and the union of the region with Romania in 1918 was perceived as a significant loss by many Hungarians who viewed it as an integral part of Hungary, despite the fact that the absolute majority of the Transylvanian population was ethnic Romanian.
Funar was a candidate for presidency from PUNR ("The Romanian National Unity Party") in 1992 and 1996. In 1997, after he was expelled from PUNR, he joined the far-right Greater Romania Party. Funar lost the Cluj-Napoca mayoral elections in the first round in 2004. Emil Boc of the Justice and Truth Alliance won the elections during the second round run-off elections against Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate Ioan Rus.
Funar is currently the General Secretary of the Greater Romania Party and is a Member of Parliament. Among his proposals in the national government is the distribution of Romanian-language Bibles to all citizens, and the raising of a statue of Mihai Eminescu in every commune.
Mayorship of Cluj
While many voters may have claimed that they voted for him only due to his economic policies, Funar's views demonstrated that tensions over Transylvania's ethnic identity continued after the end of Communism in Romania in 1989 and more than seventy years after Transylvania became a part of Romania. His views were often manifested in public policy. Among many other measures and, and seen by many as an affront to the ethnic Hungarian community, Funar required the municipality to paint many public items—including park benches, pavements and even garbage bins—in the colors of the Romanian flag (blue, yellow and red). At Christmas time, the municipality was allowed to use only red, yellow and blue Christmas lights.
In 1993, the city's central plaza "Piaţa Libertăţii" (Liberty Square) was renamed "Piaţa Unirii" (Unification Square), to imply the 1918 unification of Transylvania and Romania. He changed the label of the statue of Matthias Corvinus from "Matthias Rex Hungarorum" (Matthias King of Hungarians) to just "Matthias Rex". In September 1996, when Romania signed a friendship treaty with Hungary, Funar organized a funeral ceremony on the streets of Cluj-Napoca. In 1997, he hung a banner in front of the Hungarian Consulate in Cluj saying "This is the seat of the Hungarian spies in Romania". Many of Funar's changes were reversed under the mayorship of his successor, Emil Boc.
References
- Thorpe, Nick (2002). Hungarians unwanted in Romania census. BBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2006.
External links
- BBC World Service - Letters from Budapest: Nick Thorpe on the right to say 'yes' – about a marrying couple getting in trouble by saying "yes" to each other in their own language (Cluj, 2002).