Trust in the Romanian Government Low among Hungarians in Transylvania

Sándor Tamás, President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) in Háromszék (Covasna), and sociologist Gergő Barna presented the results of the survey entitled “The Háromszék Monitor.”

At the press conference, they said that the survey was conducted between September 21 and October 13, 2023, on a representative sample of 1,877 Hungarian adults in Covasna County, with a higher number of sub-samples for four cities: Târgu Mures, Covasna, Baraolt, and Sfântu Gheorghe. For the latter, the opinion of Romanian residents was also measured.

In the question on trust in institutions, the government of Hungary was the most frequently mentioned institution, with 83% of respondents,

followed by local government with 73%. Trust in the European Union is at 31%, in NATO at 27%, while 18% of Hungarians in the region trust the Romanian head of state, 17% in the Romanian government, and 15% in the Romanian Parliament. According to the data, 18% think that things are going in the right direction in Romania, while 78% think the opposite. Gergő Barna said that Hungarians in Covasna are generally pessimistic about Romania, but the current rate is higher than average.

Gergő Barna and Sándor Tamás. Photo: MTI / Kátai Edit

On the other hand, two-thirds are satisfied with their own living conditions, and 62% said things are going in the right direction when asked about the development of the settlements. “This is now a trend reversal,” pointed out the sociologist, who said that previously this proportion had not exceeded 50%.

As with Romania, 73% of respondents think things are going in the wrong direction on issues related to the European Union;

72% think the EU is more concerned about immigrants than national minorities, while 64% admit that the EU has helped a lot of improvements and the same number think that Romania’s accession to the European Community is a good thing overall. Barna said that Hungarians from Covasna are generally very critical of the EU, and this is outlined along the lines of minority issues. 78% of them nevertheless consider it important that Hungarian representatives are present in the European Parliament.

The central question of the survey was the perception of this year’s elections in Romania.

Local elections are considered important by 83% of respondents, parliamentary elections by 74%, elections for the head of state by 73%, and EP elections by 67%. In Covasna County, which typically has a low turnout in Romanian elections, the share of certain voters was 56% at the time of the survey.

In the case of the local government in Covasna County, 82% of Hungarian voters would vote for the RMDSZ, 8% for the Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania (EMSZ), and 1.2% for the recently formed Hungarian Civic Force (MPE), with the support for the individual Romanian parties being even lower than the latter. Among the politicians, Sándor Tamás, the county council president, and Árpád Antal, the mayor of Sfântu Gheorghe, also lead in terms of popularity and name recognition.

In Sfântu Gheorghe, Romanian residents agree that things are going in the right direction to a similar extent as Hungarians – more than two-thirds – and around 7% would vote for the RMDSZ instead of Romanian parties.

Our political community is prepared, they can hold elections in Romania any time; we will make it a success in Covasna,”

said Tamás, who said the growing trend in RMDSZ support is the result of credible work and advocacy.