Romanian Democratic Convention

The Romanian Democratic Convention (Romanian: Convenţia Democrată Română, CDR) was an electoral alliance of several political parties of Romania, active from early 1992 until 2000.

CDR was founded before the 1992 local elections, by PNŢCD - Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party, PNL - National Liberal Party, and others. The core members of the CDR included: The Civic Alliance Party (PAC), the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), the Liberal Party '93 (PL '93), the National Liberal Party-Democratic (Convention PNL-CD), the National Peasants Party - Christian Democratic (PNT-CD), the Romanian Ecological Party (PER) and the Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR).

The main purpose of CDR was to mount an effective opposition against the all-dominating National Salvation Front, a political force made up mostly of former second and third rank Communists, which assumed leadership of the country after the Romanian Revolution.

CDR managed to win Bucharest and most other large cities in the local elections of 1992, but FSN swept over almost all rural areas and small towns.

CDR won the 1996 Romanian elections, and their candidate Emil Constantinescu became president. Following is the distribution of seats in the Chamber of Deputies between the components of the alliance:

• PNŢCD - 83 deputies
• PNL - 25 deputies
• PNL-CD - 5 deputies
• PAR - 3 deputies
• PER - 5 deputies
• FER - 1 deputy

Members

• PNŢCD - Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party
• PNL - National Liberal Party
• PNL-CD - National Liberal Party - Democratic Convention
• PAR - The Alternative of Romania Party
• PER - Ecologist Party of Romania
• FER - Romanian Ecologist Federation

See also

• List of political parties in Romania

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Dan Pavel, Iulia Huia, <<Nu putem reuşi decît împreună.>> O istorie analitică a Convenţiei Democratice, 1989-2000, Editura Polirom, Iaşi, 2003
• Roper, Steven D., <<From Opposition to Government Coalition: Unity and Fragmentation within the Democratic Convention of Romania.>>, East European Quarterly, 1997. Vol. 31, 4: 519-542.