Kelemen Hunor warns that the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) will reject the administrative reform if it affects the rights of Hungarian communities / “Reckless plans are being proposed”

UDMR President Kelemen Hunor announced that the party would not support administrative reform affecting the rights of Hungarian communities and called for any merger of communes to be approved by a referendum in each locality concerned.

The statement was made in a Facebook post following a meeting in Aiud with UDMR deputy mayors from communes led by Romanian mayors. Kelemen Hunor argued that reform should simplify administration and improve public services, not harm local communities. He warned that the party would use all available means to oppose reform deemed unfavorable.

The UDMR leader said that last week he had discussed the same issue with representatives of the localities in Rimetea. While the merger of localities with fewer than 1,500 inhabitants was initially being considered, other reorganization proposals subsequently emerged.

Administrative-territorial reform is supported within the PSD by MEP Dragoș Benea, but the party's leader, Sorin Grindeanu, said the project had not been officially discussed within the party. He argued that reorganization could reduce costs and enable small localities to provide better services and access European funds more easily. Dragoș Benea says that 55% of Romania's towns no longer meet the legal threshold of 10,000 inhabitants.