POST-REVOLUTION ROMANIA, 1990: Official authorization of the Christian Democratic National Peasant Party

January 8, 1990 saw the authorization, by the Bucharest Municipal Court, of post-communist Romania's first political party - the Christian Democratic National Peasant Party (PNTCD) led by Corneliu Coposu (b. May 20, 1914 - d. November 11, 1995). The 1926-founded Peasant National Party had legally resumed its activity just short before, on December 22, 1989, and the Christian Peasant National Party was created on the same day. The Christian Democratic National Peasant Party came into being on December 28, 1989, by the merger of the National Peasant Party with the Christian Peasant National Party. At the same time, the Law-Decree on the official establishment and registration of political parties, except for fascists parties or formations propagating concepts contrary to the state order, was issued on January 3, 1990, show the volumes "Istoria României în date/The History of Romania in Dates" (Encyclopedic Publishing House, 2003) and ''România, date şi fapte.1989-2009''/Romania, Dates and Facts.1989-2009'' (published by the National News Agency AGERPRES, 2010). *** The National Peasant Party (PNT) came into being on October 10, 1926 in Bucharest, by the merger of the Peasant Party (created in December 1918 in the Old Kingdom), led by Ion Mihalache, with the Transylvania-based National Party (founded in May 1881) and headed by Iuliu Maniu. Ion Mihalache was elected leader of the party's first steering body - the Permanent Delegation, and Nicolae Lupu, Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, Paul Bratasanu, Mihai Popovici and Virgil N. Madgearu were elected Delegation members, mentions the volume "The History of Romania in Dates" (Encyclopedic Publishing House, 2003). Laid down in the National-Peasant Party's manifesto were: the necessity to adopt a new Constitution that was to guarantee democratic rights and freedoms; the ministerial and civil servants' accountability; the administrative reform based on local autonomy; legislative unification; the reorganization of the judiciary, etc. During the interwar period, the National-Peasant Party became one of the main ruling parties, with the National Liberal Party (PNL) standing on equal footing. The first National-Peasant government steered the country between November 1928 - April 1931, and the second one - between June 1932 - November 1933. PNT Chairmen were: Iuliu Maniu (October 1926 - April 1933; 1937 - 1947), Alexandru Vaida-Voevod (April - November 1933), Ion Mihalache (November 1933 - November 1937). PNT's media outlet was the newspaper ''Dreptatea/Justice''. ''The National-Peasant governments ruled against the backdrop of the global economic crisis that hit the entire society, Romania's included. Under these circumstances, any program had to be adjusted to a harsh reality, which called for measures to reduce the effects of the crisis. The National-Peasant Party, which proved to be unprepared for coping with such a critical situation, stuck, from certain points of view, with the solutions it had envisioned during its years of opposition. In this context, measures such as: the monetary stabilization, the development of telephony, the modernization of the road network, land appropriation for peasants, the organization of farming credit institutions, are worthy of appreciation. (...) Through its social policy, the National-Peasant Party has mainly supported the small and medium peasantry; the "Mihalache Law" of 1929, as well as the entire body of legislation on cooperatives, credit, and the banking system" has served this goal, shows the volume ''Istoria Partidului Naţional-Ţărănesc/The History of the National-Peasant Party" by Ioan Scurtu (Encyclopedic Publishing House, Bucharest, 1994). Between 1934 - 1938 PNT was the main opposition party and acted to defend the parliamentary-constitutional democratic regime. After the act of August 23, 1944, the National-Peasant Party, alongside the other traditional democratic parties, led a policy aimed at the restoration of a democratic regime in Romania and at stemming the county's Sovietization. "In Romania, communization picked up through the strengthening of state control over privately-owned industrial enterprises, the introduction of mandatory quotas of agricultural products to be delivered to the state and through the monetary reform, which dealt a blow to the capital holders," writes historian Florin Constantiniu in his work ''O istorie sinceră a poporului român/An Honest History of the Romanian People'' (The Encyclopedic Universe Publishing House, Bucharest, 2002). Also, political pluralism was put an end to with the establishment of the communist regime in Romania. The parties opposing communists were gradually abolished, beginning with the traditional parties - the National-Peasant Party and the National-Liberal Party - and the Communist Party became the sole political force in the country. Thus, following the parliamentary elections of November 1946 (won by the National-Peasant Party, but rigged by the communists), the authorities intensified their offensive against PNT - the most powerful party at that time. "After the parliamentary elections of November 19, 1946, the situation of the National-Peasant Party (just like that of the National-Liberal Party, led by Constantin I.C. Bratianu) became increasingly precarious. The new power stepped up the measures against the political adversaries, censorship was tightened, meetings were prohibited under various pretexts, several members of the National-Peasant Party were arrested.'' (''The History of the National-Peasant Party'' by Ioan Scurtu). ''Iuliu Maniu considered it was his duty to inform the Western public opinion about the situation in Romania. In a press statement made on April 4, 1947, he said that the Romanian people had not ceased to express its attachment to the democratic ideal and poses 'the strongest resistance against the actions of a minority that had been suppressing freedoms in Romania for more than two years.' (...) As the possibilities of action in the country were becoming increasingly limited and inefficient, Iuliu Maniu asked a group of senior National-Peasant members to leave abroad to inform the international public opinion about the situation in Romania," the aforementioned volume reads. The PNT leaders fell victim to a well-organized provocative action, historian Florin Constantiniu notes in his work ''An Honest History of the Romanian People''. On July 14, 1947, a group of National-Peasant leaders (PNT Vice-Chairman Ion Mihalache, PNT Secretary general Nicolae Penescu and his wife, director of the ''Dreptatea'' newspaper Nicolae Carandino with his wife, member of the PNT Permanent Delegation Ilie Lazar and others), having Iuliu Maniu's consent, attempted to leave the country on board two IAR-39 aircraft which were to take off from Tamadau (ca. 46 km away from Bucharest); they had been tasked with informing the international public opinion and Western states' officials about the situation in Romania. Yet the action was uncovered, the members of the group were arrested, and their attempt to leave the country was immediately brandished by the communist government as an act of "national betrayal" ("The History of Romania in Dates", Encyclopedic Publishing House, 2003). In connection with the Tamadau frame-up, historian Florin Constantiniu writes: ''The group was arrested on July 14, at Tamadau (they had been permanently shadowed), which allowed the government to dissolve PNT (July 30) and, following a trial, sentence the National-Peasant leaders on top with Iuliu Maniu (he was sentenced to forced labor for life). The main political party attached to democracy and, therefore, opponent of communist totalitarianism, was thus swept away.'' On the same day, July 14, 1947, the State Security officers raided the headquarters of the National-Peasant Party and seized the archive in presence of the party's deputy Secretary general Corneliu Coposu, Ioan Scurtu writes in the volume "The History of the National-Peasant Party" (Encyclopedic Publishing House, Bucharest, 1994). Most PNT leaders would find their demise in prisons and work camps. Some of the party leaders continued activity abroad, some others in the country. As of December 1989, the party headed by Corneliu Coposu resumed its activity under the name of the Christian Democratic National Peasant Party, and was registered with the court on January 8, 1990. ("The History of Romania in Dates") AGERPRES (Documentary research: Ruxandra Bratu, editor: Ionela Gavril; EN - author/editor: Simona Klodnischi)     Photo caption: Corneliu Coposu, Chairman of the Christian Democratic National Peasant Party (1990-1995) (Bucharest, January 28, 1990)