Romania’s ethnic Hungarian party on Monday welcomed the landslide victory of Viktor Orban in parliamentary elections saying it would benefit the ethnic Hungarian community in Romania.
There are some 1.2 million ethnic Hungarians living in Romania, mainly in the Transylvania region which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until the end of World War I.
The Union of Democratic Hungarians in Romania is currently is a junior partner in the Romania’s ruling coalition. Romania’s government is a strong supporter of NATO and the European Union.
The neighbors have adopted different positions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said Russia committed “war crimes.”
Mr Orban who has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin criticized Brussels bureaucrats and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in his victory speech, calling them „opponents”.
Mr. Orban’s win is a boost to the increasingly isolated Russian president.
The ethnic Hungarian party skirted that issue in its congratulations.
“One thing is certain and that’s that the interests of Hungarians in Romania and Transylvania will be important for the Hungarian government in the next four years, “ party leader Hunor Kelemen said on Facebook. He congratulated Mr. Orban’s Fidesz party.
Many ethnic Hungarians have dual citizenship and are able to vote in elections in both countries.
The right-wing Fidesz party won 135 of 199 seats with almost 99% of the votes counted, preliminary results show.
Some 200 international observers monitored the election.
Romania’s Senate rejects plan to establish autonomous region for ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania
