PRESS RELEASE

Money for Votes

The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR is protesting against the way in which the governing party is using the funds meant for the national minorities as blackmail device in order to obtain their unconditioned support in the Parliament. The minorities representatives in the Parliament should have the freedom to handle the cultural problems of those who are representing and not just form a maneuverable mass of people with the support of PSD is assuring the majority in the Parliament, towards the possibility of breaking the UDMR deal.

The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR is stating that the subventions destined to the national majorities should be principally granted on a project basis, in a transparent way and following some certain criteria. It is absurd that these funds should only go to those organizations that are succeeding in sending a representative in the Parliament, which means those organizations who are succeeding in reaching a certain number of signatures. Because of this vicious system the 262 of the Ruteni people who are living in Romania have managed to send a representative in the Parliament and thus consequently gain a few billions lei subvention.

This conditioning between the political activity of the representatives of the minorities and the cultural activity of those organizations is harmful to the Parliament as well to the minorities' projects. The money they have gain in return for their parliamentarian support are often headed in obscure directions and in no way are they headed in the minorities organizations projects, thing which explains the refusal of many minorities leaders of introducing a transparent and judicial subvention system.

Cosmin Alexandru, President

The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR