Csoma Botond announces that the UDMR will not vote for the AUR bill requiring the flag to be kissed

UDMR parliamentary group leader Csoma Botond announced that his party will not vote for the AUR bill proclaiming Romania’s National Flag Day, which is on the agenda of the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies. The lawmaker criticizes the initiative’s provisions, arguing that they would require the public display of loyalty to the state and limit religious and editorial freedom.

According to Csoma Botond, the bill provides that civil servants, school principals and designated students must kiss the Romanian tricolor, under threat of fines. Radio and television stations would also be required to broadcast 30 minutes of programming dedicated to the flag, while the initiative would even establish the order of religious services held on the occasion.

The AUR bill, submitted to Parliament and adopted by the Senate in 2023, was placed on the Chamber of Deputies’ agenda this week without a report from the relevant committees. The text provides for fines of up to 10,000 lei for officials who refuse to kiss the flag, up to 20,000 lei for media institutions that fail to allocate airtime, and up to 30,000 lei for local authorities that do not establish a “Tricolor Square” within 45 days of promulgation.

Csoma Botond compared the initiative to practices of public submission under Nazi and communist regimes and called on parliamentary parties not to support it.