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Interim Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu has filed a complaint on Monday with the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) against President Klaus Iohannis, following the latter's statements regarding the "agreement" between Social-Democrats and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) on the draft law on the autonomy of the Szeklerland.
"Klaus Iohannis, 2014: 'How can anyone say in the public space that someone wants to tear Transylvania apart or lead to an enmity of Transylvanians against Oltenia inhabitants. These are stupidities. One is not allowed to say something like that.' Nonetheless, Iohannis could. In 2020. Out of desperation to hide the incompetence, the lack of concrete solutions, the stupidity and corruption of the Government he is leading. That is the reason I filed a complaint today with the National Council for Combating Discrimination against Klaus Iohannis. The President must answer for the serious accusations of incitement to hatred which he made, without having the slightest evidence," Ciolacu wrote on his Facebook page.
The PSD notifies the CNCD against Klaus Iohannis for "the deliberate and repeated manner in which he makes discriminatory statements against the PSD, its members and leaders," as the complaint shows.
"Concretely, on 29.04.2020, in a press statement, President Iohannis made serious statements, without presenting any kind of evidence or document, according to which the PSD, in complicity with the UDMR and the Government in Budapest, would have had an agreement to give Transylvania away: 'The great PSD is fighting in the secret offices of Parliament to give Transylvania away to the Hungarians' or ' Jo napot, Ciolacu! What has the leader of Budapest, Viktor Orban, promised you in exchange for this agreement?'. Basically, abusing his position as head of the Romanian state, President Iohannis knowingly issues accusations and value judgments with a profound discriminatory character and incitement to hatred, without any basis. It is an even more serious statement as President Iohannis stated in 2014, on a television broadcast, regarding the 'rupture of Transylvania' that 'such themes are totally false, from another century and they are harmful'," the document also shows.
The PSD added that, in this context, President Iohannis' recent speeches aim to "manipulate and induce among Romanian citizens the idea that the PSD and its members would threaten the integrity of the Romanian state, the independence and sovereignty of Romania, in complicity with Viktor Orban's Government in Budapest."
"These statements are all the more serious as they are now made from the height of the presidential tribune, without any evidence, and in obvious dissonance with Klaus Iohannis' statements from 2014. Thus, President Iohannis seriously injures both the Romanian citizens and the Hungarian ethnics, inciting to hatred, division and interethnic conflicts. In fact, the case presented above is not singular. Over the last period, President Klaus Werner Iohannis had increased accents of intolerance, discrediting and discrimination against the PSD members, followers and the left-wing electorate in general. (...) Moreover, President Iohannis is consciously opposing the Constitution, which grants rights and political options, in full equality to all citizens, regardless of their political choice. Taking into account all these arguments, the PSD requests the CNCD to take note of the discriminatory character, of incitement and violation of the dignity of citizens, the PSD members, of the repeated statements of the President of Romania and to enforce the corresponding sanctions," the complaint mentions.
