Romania: Information on a national political party of Roma (Gypsies)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ROM17818.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Romania: Information on a national political party of Roma (Gypsies), 1 July 1994, ROM17818.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab288c.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Inter Press Service indicates that three Gypsy parties ran candidates in the September 1992 election, each demanding the protection of Gypsies from extremist groups (22 Feb. 1993).
In a report to the office of the UNHCR, Mark Braham states that the Roma are not well organized politically and that Roma political parties are not as powerful or organized as those of the other ethnic minorities in Romania (Mar. 1993). He also states that Roma parties did not get enough votes in the September 1992 election to obtain a seat in parliament, but in accordance with the electoral law, which guarantees a representative for each ethnic minority, the Roma have one representative in the Chamber of Deputies (ibid.).
The Romanian Institute of International Studies indicates that the Romanies' Party represents the Roma minority in the Chamber of Deputies (Feb. 1993, 17) while another source indicates that Gheorghe Raducanu is the representative (IHRLG, 23 June 1994). The latter source also states that Roma parties are politically weak and not very popular in Romania (ibid.).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reports that by 1990, a number of Roma parties had been organized and six were officially registered (29 June 1990, 42). These parties included the United Democratic Party of the Romanies, Fiddlers and Wood Carvers of Romania, Tinsmith Romanies' Progressive Party, Free Romanies Democratic Party, Gypsies' Party of Romania, Free Democratic Union and the Christian Democratic Party of Romanies (ibid.).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Braham, Mark. March 1993. The Untouchables: A Survey of the Roma People of Central and Eastern Europe. (Report to the Office of the UNCHR)
Helsinki Watch. September 1991. Destroying Ethnic Identity: The Persecution of Gypsies in Romania. New York: Human Rights Watch.
Inter Press Service. 22 February 1993. Chris Stephen. "Romania: Troubled Gypsies Go Searching for Their Roots." (NEXIS)
International Human Rights Law Group (IHRLG), Bucharest. 23 June 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 29 June 1990. Report on Eastern Europe [Munich]. Vol. 1, No. 26. Dan Ionescu. "The Gypsies Organize."
Romanian Institute of International Studies. February 1993. Romania: National, Ethnic, Linguistic and Religious Minorities.
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 22 September 1993. "Lynching of Gypsies Denounced." (NEXIS)
Braham, Mark. March 1993. The Untouchables: A Survey of the Roma People of Central and Eastern Europe. (Report to the Office of the UNCHR), p. 27.
Helsinki Watch. September 1991. Destroying Ethnic Identity: The Persecution of Gypsies in Romania. New York: Human Rights Watch, pp. 89-92.
Inter Press Service. 22 February 1993. Chris Stephen. "Romania: Troubled Gypsies Go Searching for Their Roots." (NEXIS)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 29 June 1990. Report on Eastern Europe [Munich]. Vol. 1, No. 26. Dan Ionescu. "The Gypsies Organize," pp. 41-42.
Romanian Institute of International Studies. February 1993. Romania: National, Ethnic, Linguistic and Religious Minorities, pp. 16-17.
