Romanian ethnic minority parties

The Romanian Constitution (Article 62), under the conditions imposed by the Electoral Law, reserves a seat in the Chamber of Deputies for the party and cultural association of each ethnic minority in Romania (with the limitation that each national minority is to be represented by one organization only). Traditionally, these groups support the government in power.

List of parties

The following parties have held seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

• Association of Italians of Romania
• Association of Macedonians of Romania
• Bratstvo Community of Bulgarians in Romania (defunct)
• Bulgarian Union of Banat–Romania
• Community of the Lippovan Russians in Romania
• Cultural Union of Albanians of Romania (defunct)
• Cultural Union of Ruthenians of Romania
• Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (Forumul Democrat al Germanilor din România)
• Democratic Turkish Union of Romania
• Democratic Union of Slovaks and Czechs of Romania
• Democratic Union of Turkish-Muslim Tatars of Romania
• Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania
• Hellenic Union of Romania
• Italian Community of Romania (now defunct)
• League of Albanians of Romania
• Party of the Roma
• Union of Armenians of Romania
• Union of Croatians of Romania
• Union of Poles of Romania
• Union of Serbs of Romania
• Union of the Ukrainians of Romania

In addition to these, the ethnically-based Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania [1] (Romanian: Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România, UDMR; Hungarian: Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség, RMDSZ) has played a significant role in the country's politics, competing in elections essentially the same manner as non-ethnic parties.

A number of political parties represented Romania's ethnic minorities—particularly Hungarians, Germans and Jews—until 1938 and, in the case of the Hungarian People's Union, until 1953.