The Hungarian party in Romania without an election campaign

In the past few years the "Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), which represents the country's second-largest minority, has often tipped the scales as a partner in the ruling coalition to give the government a majority. The daily Cotidianul questions whether the Union will win enough votes in the parliamentary elections on Sunday: "The Hungarian Union failed to put together a successful election campaign that could mobilise its full voting potential among voters who are weary of empty phrases. ... The UDMR has acquired the same bad habits as the Romanian parties. In the Romanian city of Galati an entire Hungarian family: husband, wife, brother-in law and sister-in-law ran for election, ... and as with the Romanian parties there are differences of opinion. From time to time the Hungarian Union also waves the flag of autonomy ... . The Union talks seldom, only when absolutely necessary, about poverty in the large Szekler region (the region where most of the Hungarian minority lives), and when it does it's only to try and justify its failure to give the Szeklers adequate representation during its time in government and give its coalition partner the blame."

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