Deputy Prime Minister for National Policy Zsolt Semjén congratulated the Hungarians who stood in the municipal elections in Romania on the results they achieved on Sunday.

The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted at the closing conference of this year’s Kőrösi Csoma Sándor and Petőfi Sándor Programmes held in Budapest on Monday: more than 200 Hungarian candidates obtained the office of mayor in the elections. Mr Semjén especially congratulated the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) on their success, indicating that they achieved major victories in Szeklerland’s two largest cities: in Csíkszereda and Sepsiszentgyörgy. He said: this is important because in Romania one may experience increasingly brutal anti-Hungarian manifestations, and Hungarians are harassed through the judiciary.

Intimidation was the obvious goal of these attacks, to deter Hungarian candidates from running in the municipal elections, he said. He congratulated them on their courage, and pointed out at the same time that „reconquering” Szatmárnémeti is an historic success: the city will have a Hungarian mayor once again.

The candidate of RMDSZ, Gábor Kereskényi, recaptured the post of mayor in Szatmárnémeti with a 34 per cent Hungarian population after four years.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)