Profile of Greater Romania Party

· Ultra-nationalist party. Overtly xenophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hungarian and anti-Gypsy. Portrays Ceausescu era as golden period and Ceausescu himself as national hero. Policies combine both fascist and communist principles.

· Set up November 1990 by writers Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor, the latter Ceausescu's "court poet." Barbu dies 1993, leaving Tudor as sole party leader.

· According to party figures, current membership is 155,000 (10-fold increase since 1993).

· Membership is 83 percent male, 47 percent over 50, 39 percent university graduates. Only 15 percent of membership under age 30.

· In parliamentary elections of September 1992, scored 3.89 percent of votes for Chamber of Deputies, giving it 16 seats, and 3.85 percent of votes for Senate, giving it six seats.

· Served in President Iliescu's "red quadrangle" coalition government from 1992 until 1995, when it was forced out of coalition.

· In parliamentary elections of November 3, 1996, scored 4.46 percent of votes for Chamber of Deputies, giving it 19 seats, and 4.54 percent of votes for Senate, giving it eight seats

· Tudor stands for president in 1996 elections. Scores 4.72 percent of vote.

· From 1996 to 2000, once again allied with former president Ion Iliescu's Social Democratic Party of Romania in opposition to President Emil Constantinescu. With Constantinescu declining not to seek re-election, the two opposition party leaders both sought the presidency.

· Tudor wins enough votes in 2000 presidential election to force second ballot.

· Has two weekly publications, Romania Mare and Politica, published since 1990 and 1992 respectively. Both contain regular anti-Semitic and anti-Hungarian articles.

CNN Election Watch
Romania
Ex-president Iliescu leads Romanian poll
November 27, 2000
Romania's left set to regain power
November 25, 2000
Romanians hope for better future
November 24, 2000
Stabbing mars Romanian election
November 24, 2000

Greater Romania Party

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.