Hunor Kelemen | |
|---|---|
 Kelemen in 2024 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Romania | |
| In office 23 December 2020 – 15 June 2023 Serving with Sorin Grindeanu[a] | |
| President | Klaus Iohannis |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Raluca Turcan |
| In office 5 March 2014 – 24 November 2014 | |
| President | Traian Băsescu |
| Prime Minister | Victor Ponta |
| Preceded by | Daniel Constantin |
| Succeeded by | Csilla Hegedüs |
| Minister of Culture | |
| In office 23 December 2009 – 7 May 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Theodor Paleologu |
| Succeeded by | Mircea Diaconu |
| In office 5 March 2014 – 24 November 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Victor Ponta |
| Preceded by | Gigel Știrbu [ro] |
| Succeeded by | Csilla Hegedüs |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| Assumed office December 2000 | |
| Constituency | Harghita County |
| President of theDemocratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania | |
| Assumed office February 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Béla Markó |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1967-10-18)18 October 1967 (age 57) Cârța,Romania |
| Political party | Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (since 1997) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession |
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| Website | www |
| a.^ WithDan Barna before 7 September 2021. | |
Hunor Kelemen (born 18 October 1967) is a Romanian politician andHungarian-language writer. The current president of theDemocratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR),[1] he has been a member of theRomanian Chamber of Deputies since 2000, and was nominated as his party's candidate for the2009,2014,2019 and2024 presidential elections. From December 2009 to May 2012 he was Romania'sMinister of Culture in theEmil Boc andMihai Răzvan Ungureanu governments, a role he has reprised between March and October 2014 in the government headed byVictor Ponta. In 2020, he was re-elected as a member of parliament and became the deputy prime minister of Romania.[2]
In 2000, Hunor Kelemen was awarded theOrder of the Star of Romania, Commander rank, and in 2008Hungary'sCommander's Cross of the Order of Merit.[3] In 2012, he married Éva Czézár; the civil ceremony took place at Cârța Town Hall, while the religious wedding was held atSt. Michael's Church inCluj-Napoca.[4]
Anethnic Hungarian, he was born in Cârța. He completedprimary school in Ineu-Ciuc, and thegymnasium in his native locality, while practisingice hockey in the school's team. After completing high school inTârgu Mureș, he enrolled in theUniversity of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, graduating as aveterinarian in 1993, and then in the Faculty of Philosophy of theBabeș-Bolyai University, graduating in 1998.[3][5]
Following theRevolutions of 1989, Hunor Kelemen was one of the founders of theHungarian language cultural magazinesJelenlét and later became deputy editor in chief.[5] After 1993 he also collaborated with the Hungarian language magazineKorunk, and between 1990 and 1997 he was editor of cultural and political shows for theRadio Cluj, part of theRomanian Radio Broadcasting Company.[3] In 1995 Hunor Kelemen published his first poetry volume in Hungarian language,Mínuszévek, for which he was awarded the Debut Prize of theWriters' Union of Romania in 1996.[5] He further published a novel,A madárijesztők halála ("The scarecrow's death"), in 1999, and a second poetry volume,A szigetlakó ("The islander"), in 2001, both in Hungarian language.[3]
Kelemen entered politics in 1997, when he was appointed asSecretary of State from the UDMR in the Romanian government'sMinistry of Culture.[5] He held this post until 2000, when he was elected in the lower house of theRomanian Parliament on the UDMR list. He was re-elected in 2004 and in 2008, obtaining over 50% of the votes in hiselectoral college in the latter elections.[3]
In June 2009, the UDMR Council of the Union Representatives voted Hunor Kelemen as candidate for the office ofPresident of Romania in that year's November elections. On this occasion Kelemen declared his program will include a proposal forHungarian ethnic autonomy, in a way "that would not upset the Romanian ethnics".[6] In July, at a summer camp organised by the UDMR atBăile Tușnad, he acknowledged that, as a Hungarian ethnic, he had no chance to win, but he presented the motives that led to his candidature: the desire of the Hungarian community of Romania to have a candidate of its own, the need to fill the traditional Hungarian segment in Romanian politics, and the need to present the message of the Hungarian minority to the Romanian majority.[7] He received 372,764 votes (3.83% of the ballot).[8] He performed better in the regions with important Hungarian communities, winning a majority in the counties ofHarghita (71.2%) andCovasna (52.8%), and the second place inMureș andSatu Mare.[9]
On 20 December 2009, Emil Boc, nominated as prime-minister by the re-electedTraian Băsescu, proposed Hunor Kelemen as the Minister of Culture in thePDL-UDMR coalition government.[10] The proposal was met with strong protests by PDL vice-presidentCezar Preda, who declared that his party made the "greatest political mistake of the last years".[11] Following unofficial protests from the Patriarch of theRomanian Orthodox Church, the Religious Affairs, previously subordinated to the Ministry of Culture, were put under the direct control of the prime-minister. Reportedly, the Orthodox Church was dissatisfied with being subordinated to a minister of a different denomination.[12] The cabinet was approved by the Parliament on 23 December 2009.[13]
Kelemen left government in May 2012 when the Răzvan Ungureanu government lost a vote of confidence and was replaced by the one led byVictor Ponta.[citation needed]
Together with Hans Heinrich Hansen, Hunor Kelemen was behind theEuropean Citizens' Initiative calledMinority SafePack, which successfully collected more than 1,000,000 signatures in a year starting from 3 April 2017 in order to "improve the protection of persons belonging to national and linguistic minorities and strengthen cultural and linguistic diversity in the European Union".[14]
| Election | Affiliation | First round | Second round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percentage | Position | Votes | Percentage | Position | ||
| 2009 | UDMR | 372,761 | 3.83% | 5th | not qualified | ||
| 2014 | UDMR | 329,727 | 3.47% | 8th | not qualified | ||
| 2019 | UDMR | 357,014 | 3.87% | 6th | not qualified | ||
| 2024 | UDMR | 416,353 | 4.50% | 7th | not qualified | ||
Ciucă Cabinet (2021–2023) | ||
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