Bitkova Tatiana Georgievna – Ph.D. in Philology, Leading Researcher, INION RAS
The article presents an overview of the main right-wing radical movements of modern Romania. The dynamics of the development of right-wing radical trend in Romania shows that throughout the post-communist period, the intensity of its influence varied significantly. Some of today’s already unpopular formations had a chance to significantly influence public life in general and the political structure of the country in particular, and it was in their discourse that the main postulates of today’s right-wing radical movements were formulated. Among the main components of the current Romanian right-wing ideology is the idea of returning Romania to the borders of 1918 and, first of all, uniting with the Republic of Moldova, as well as a negative attitude towards ethnic minorities, in particular, the Hungarians living in Transylvania, who are credited with the desire to dismember the Romanian unitary state. A careful study of the statements of a number of Romanian populist leaders shows that not all of their rhetoric can be unequivocally defined as right-wing (for example, the statements of T. Basescu). The article pays the most attention to the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians party, which received about 9% of the vote in the 2020 parliamentary elections. The content of its program is analyzed, the intention to fit into the pan-European right-wing radical content as much as possible is noted. In conclusion, information about populist sentiments in Romanian society based on sociological research is presented, and it is concluded that populism is a way to attract the electorate, regardless of the real ideological preferences of populist leaders.
Romania, right-wing populism, extremism, conservatism, nationalism, Republic of Moldova, ethnic minorities, Hungary.
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