Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party

Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party Partidul Național Țărănesc Creștin Democrat
Leader	Aurelian Pavelescu
Founded	December 1989
Preceded by	National Peasants' Party
Headquarters	Bd. Carol I, nr. 24 Bucharest
Ideology	Agrarianism[1] Christian democracy[2] Social conservatism Constitutional monarchism[3] Anti-communism
Political position	Centre-right
European affiliation	ECPM (2020–present) EPP (1987–2017)
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat International
European Parliament group	ECR group (2020–present)
Colours	Green and blue
Senate	0 / 136
Chamber of Deputies	0 / 329
European Parliament (Romanian seats)	1 / 33
Mayors	3 / 3,186 [4]
County Councilors	0 / 1,434 [4]
Local Councilors	137 / 40,067 [4]
Website
www.pntcd.ro
Politics of Romania Political parties Elections

The Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (Romanian: Partidul Național Țărănesc Creștin Democrat, officially abbreviated PNȚ-CD) is a Christian democratic^[2] and agrarian^[1] political party in Romania. It claims to be the rightful successor of the interwar National Peasants' Party (created from the merger of the Romanian National Party (PNR) from Habsburg-controlled Transylvania and the Peasants' Party from the Romanian Old Kingdom).^{[citation needed]}

PNȚ-CD was the largest and most important political party of the Romanian Democratic Convention (Romanian: Convenția Democrată Română) during the 1990s and was led by Corneliu Coposu and Ion Diaconescu, two former political prisoners during Communism, but as the 2000s began it gradually feel out of grace amongst center-right Romanian voters and slowly became an inactive microparty. The party was subsequently excluded from the European People's Party (EPP) in June 2017.^[5] Eventually, it joined the European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) in February 2020.^[6]

Given a tremendous disdain and resentment towards Pavelescu's leadership (the incumbent party president since 2011), another Christian peasant group known as the National Peasant Alliance (Romanian: Alianța Național Țărăniștă - Țărăniștii) seceded from the main PNȚ-CD in 2019 (which, according to them and their electoral basin, greatly drifted from its original ideology) and centered around leader Radu Ghidău for the 2020 Romanian local elections.^[7][8][9]

History[]

1989–1992[]

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

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).

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 Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR).

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[]

PNȚ-CD headquarters in September 2008

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 (Romanian: 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, PDL) 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).^[10]

2011–present[]

Party headquarters in Bucharest in December 2014

Victor Ciorbea was elected on 18 June 2011 president of the party. In September 2011, the Bucharest Courthouse (responsible for the parties registry) recognised Victor Ciorbea as party president.^[11] 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 recognised 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 23 April 2013, Pavelescu was elected president of the party.

At the 2014 European Parliament election, the party gained only 0.89% of the cast votes,^[12] with candidates like former EP member Sebastian Bodu and the current party president, Aurelian Pavelescu, opening the list.

Following the 2019 European Parliament election and thanks to an agreement between the party and Social Democratic Party (PSD), the party has 1 MEP: Cristian Terheș.^[13]

Motto[]

Its motto as of 2006 was Fiecare contează (Each one counts). At the 2014 EU elections, PNȚ-CD's motto was Renaștem pentru România ta! (Reborn for your Romania!).

Electoral history[]

Legislative elections[]

Notes:

¹ CDR members in 1992: PNȚ-CD, PAC (7 senators and 13 deputies), PNL-AT (1 senator and 11 deputies), PSDR (1 senator and 10 deputies), PNL-CD (4 senators and 3 deputies), and PER (no senators and 4 deputies).
² CDR members in 1996: PNȚ-CD, PNL (22 senators and 28 deputies), PNL-CD (1 senator and 4 deputies), PAR (3 senators and 3 deputies), PER (1 senator and 5 deputies), and Ecologist Federation of Romania (FER - 1 senator and 1 deputy).
³ CDR 2000 members: PNȚ-CD, UFD, Ecologist Federation of Romania (FER), National Christian Democratic Alliance (ANCD), and The Moldavians' Party (PM).
⁴ PNȚ-CD competed on PNL lists.
⁵ Right Romania Alliance members: PDL (22 senators and 52 deputies), FC (1 senators and 3 deputies), and PNȚ-CD.

Presidential elections[]

Notes:

¹ Emil Constantinescu was the common centre-right candidate that was endorsed by the PNȚ-CD in both 1992 and 1996 as part of the larger Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR).
² Mugur Isărescu was endorsed by the PNȚ-CD at the 2000 elections as part of the Romanian Democratic Convention 2000 (CDR 2000) alliance.
³ Electoral protocol endorsing Traian Băsescu, the candidate of the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL), due to a decision enforced by the then official fraction of the PNȚ-CD led by Marian Petre Miluț.
⁴ Elena Udrea was endorsed by the People's Movement Party (PMP)-PNȚ-CD alliance at the 2014 Romanian presidential election.
⁵ Electoral protocol endorsing Viorica Dăncilă, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

European elections[]

Notes:

¹ Electoral protocol endorsing the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

Presidents of the party[]

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 (acting/ad 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–		2007	2011	4 years
7	Aurelian Pavelescu (1964–		2011	Incumbent	10 years to date

Notable members[]

References[]

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.

External links[]

• Official site
• Official site of Cluj County Organization
• News about PNȚCD
• History of PNȚCD
• Past leaders of PNȚCD