Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party

Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party
Partidul Național Țărănesc Creștin Democrat
Leader Aurelian Pavelescu
Founded December 1989
Headquarters Bd. Carol I, nr. 24
Bucharest
Ideology Christian democracy[1]
Agrarianism[2]
Political position Centre to Centre-right
European affiliation EPP (1987–2017)
International affiliation Centrist Democrat International
European Parliament group No MEPs
Colours Green and Blue
Seats in the Senate
0 / 136
Seats in the Chamber of Deputies
0 / 329
Seats in the European Parliament
0 / 32
Mayors
3 / 3,186
[3]
County Councilors
0 / 1,434
[3]
Local Council Councilors
137 / 40,067
[3]
Website
www.pntcd.ro

The Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (Romanian: Partidul Național Țărănesc Creștin Democrat, abbreviated PNȚ-CD) is a Christian democratic and agrarian political party in Romania. It claims to be the successor of the National Peasants' Party (created from the merger of the Romanian National Party from Transylvania and Peasants' Party). The party was excluded from the European People's Party (EPP) in June 2017.[4]

History

1989–1992

The Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party was (re)-founded by Corneliu Coposu, Ioan Alexandru, and Ion Rațiu in December, 1989, being thus the first officially registered political party after the fall of Communism. The party competed in the 1990 elections, where it ranked 4th with 2.5% (or 348,637 votes) and supported Ion Rațiu for president. The PNȚ-CD presidential candidate ranked 3rd, with 4.3% (or 617,007 votes).

From left to right: Ion Diaconescu, Corneliu Coposu, and Ion Rațiu at a 1990 manifestation held in Bucharest

Given the political dominance of the National Salvation Front (FSN) that was exerted prior and after the first free elections in post-1989 Romania, the PNȚ-CD decided to form a consistent alliance of centre-right parties aiming mainly to oppose it.

As a result, in 1991, most notably alongside the National Liberal Party (but also with other noteworthy civic organisations, foundations, and minor additional right-leaning political parties), the PNȚ-CD formed the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR).

Eventually, the PNȚ-CD would affirm itself as the most dominant internal political force for much of the convention's existence. For the period 1990-1992, PNȚ-CD was one of the main opposition parties.

1992–1996

At the 1992 elections, the party ran on a common CDR list (along with other allied parties within the convention) and supported the candidacy of Emil Constantinescu as President of Romania. Consequently, the CDR ranked 2nd, having scored 20.16% (or 2,210,722 votes), while Emil Constantinescu managed to qualify in the second round of the presidential election where he finished second with 38.57% (or 4,641,207 votes). For the period 1992-1996, the party was the main opposition force in the Parliament of Romania.

1996–2000

At the 1996 elections, CDR managed to rank 1st, with 30.70% (or 3,772,084 votes), and once again supported the candidacy of Emil Constantinescu, who also managed to win the presidency with 54.41% (or 7,057,906 votes). For the period 1996-2000, PNȚ-CD was the most important governing party within the CDR, being also part of a grand coalition which included the Democratic Party (PD) and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ).

At the 2000 elections, PNȚ-CD ran on a common CDR 2000 list and scored 5.30% (or 575,706 votes), being unable to pass the electoral threshold required for an alliance. This weak electoral result was primarily owed to the fragmentation of the alliance and the scission of the Romanian right into several other parties as well as to the tumultuous previous governing term. For the period 2000-2004, PNȚ-CD was in extra-parliamentary opposition.

2004–2008

Party headquarters in Bucharest

At the 2004 elections, PNȚ-CD ran independently, having scored 1.9% (or 196,027 votes), failing this time as well to surpass the electoral threshold. The party supported the presidential candidacy of Gheorghe Ciuhandu, former mayor of Timișoara. Ciuhandu ranked 5th, with 1.9% (or 198,394 votes).

In March, 2005, PNȚ-CD voted to change its name to the Christian Democratic People's Party (Partidul Popular Creștin-Democrat, PPCD) after the unification with the Union for Romanian Reconstruction. Eventually, it returned to its original name (PNȚ-CD). The party did not compete in the 2008 legislative elections.

Afterwards, the party was split between a wing sustained by Marian-Petre Miluț supporting Aurelian Pavelescu as president (who decided on an alliance with the then governing Democratic Liberal Party) and one supporting former Prime Minister and Bucharest mayor Victor Ciorbea as president (who, at that time, favoured an alliance with the National Liberal Party).[5]

2011–present

Victor Ciorbea was elected on June 18, 2011 president of the party. In September 2011 the Bucharest Courthouse (responsible for the parties registry) recognised Victor Ciorbea as party president.[6] Nonetheless, the split continued until Ciorbea left the party (until October, 2012 namely) in order to become a senator on PNL's lists. Pavelescu was subsequently recognized as president and the fractions were dissolved.

For the 2012 legislative elections, PNȚ-CD ran on a common Right Romania Alliance (ARD), along with the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and the Civic Force (FC). The party won one senator seat and one deputy seat. On April 23, 2013, Pavelescu was elected president of the party.

At the 2014 European Parliament election, the party only gained 0.89% of the vote,[7] with candidates like former EP member Sebastian Bodu and the current party president, Aurelian Pavelescu, opening the list.

Motto

Its motto as of 2006 is Fiecare contează (Everyone counts). At the 2014 European elections PNȚCD motto was Renaștem pentru România ta! (Reborn for your Romania!)

Electoral history

Legislative elections

ElectionVotes%ChamberSenatePositionGovernment
1990 348,637 2.50
12 / 395
1 / 119
 4th Opposition
1992 2,210,722 20.16 (as CDR)
41 / 341
21 / 143
 2nd (as CDR) Opposition
1996 3,772,084 30.7 (as CDR)
83 / 343
27 / 143
 1st (as CDR) Grand Coalition
2000 575,706 5.30 (as CDR 2000)
0 / 345
0 / 140
 6th (as CDR 2000) Extra-parliamentary opposition
2004 196,027 1.90
0 / 332
0 / 137
 6th Extra-parliamentary opposition
2008 — —
0 / 334
0 / 137
 — Extra-parliamentary opposition1
2012 1,239,318 16.71 (as ARD)
1 / 412
1 / 176
 2nd (as ARD) Opposition
2016 — —
0 / 329
0 / 136
 — Extra-parliamentary opposition2
2020 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Notes:

1 The PNȚCD competed in the 2008 Romanian legislative elections on the electoral lists of the PNL.
2 Did not compete in the 2016 elections.

Presidential elections

Election Candidate First round Second round
Votes % Position Votes % Position
1990 Ion Rațiu617,007
4.3%
 3rd 
1992 Emil Constantinescu13,717,006
31.1%
 2nd 4,641,207
38.6%
 2nd 
1996 Emil Constantinescu13,569,941
28.2%
 2nd 7,057,906
54.4%
 1st 
2000 Mugur Isărescu21,069,463
9.5%
 4th 
2004 Gheorghe Ciuhandu198,394
1.9%
 5th 
2009 Traian Băsescu33,153,640
32.4%
 1st 5,275,808
50.3%
 1st 
2014 Elena Udrea4493,376
5.2%
 4th 

Notes:

1 Emil Constantinescu was the common centre-right candidate that was supported by the PNȚCD in both 1992 and 1996 as part of the larger Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR).
2 Mugur Isărescu was supported by the PNȚCD at the 2000 elections as part of the Romanian Democratic Convention 2000 (CDR 2000) alliance.
3 Traian Băsescu was supported during the 2009 Romanian presidential elections by the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and by the then official fraction of the PNȚCD led by Marian Petre Miluț.
4 Elena Udrea was supported by the People's Movement Party (PMP)-PNȚCD alliance at the 2014 Romanian presidential elections.

European elections

ElectionVotes%MEPsPositionPolitical group
2007 71,001 1.38
0 / 35
 11th European People's Party (EPP)
2009 70,428 1.45
0 / 33
 7th European People's Party (EPP)
2014 49,978 0.89
0 / 32
 12th European People's Party (EPP)

Presidents of the party

  Also served as Prime Minister
  Also served as Chamber President
Nº Name
Born - Died		 Portrait Term start Term end Duration
1 Corneliu Coposu
(1914–1995)		 1990 1995 5 years
2 Ion Diaconescu
(1917–2011)		 1995 2001 6 years
– Constantin Dudu Ionescu
(interim)
(1954–		 2001 2001 less than 1 year
3 Andrei Marga
(1946–		 2002 2002 less than 1 year
4 Victor Ciorbea
(1954–		 2002 2004 2 years
5 Gheorghe Ciuhandu
(1947–		 2004 2007 3 years
6 Marian Petre Miluț
(1955–		 2004 2007 3 years
7 Aurelian Pavelescu
(1964–		 2011 present 7 years so far

Notable members

References

  1. ↑ Nordsieck, Wolfram, "Romania", Parties and Elections In Europe, retrieved 6 November 2012
  2. ↑ Daniele Caramani (2013). The Europeanization of Politics. Cambridge University Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-107-11867-6.
  3. 1 2 3 http://www.2016bec.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SIAL2016_Situatia_mandatelor_partide-2.xlsx
  4. ↑ http://evz.ro/ppe-pntcd-exclus-executie.html
  5. ↑ Newsin, Radu Sârbu a fost reales președintele aripii anti-Miluț a PNȚCD. September 26, 2009. Accessed on September 27, 2009
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-05-27.

Further reading

  • Lavinia Stan, “From Riches to Rags: The Romanian National Christian Democrat Peasant Party,” East European Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 2 (Summer 2005), pp. 179–227.
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