The Trade-Unions Are Moving Towards Forming Their Own Political Parties

Some of the news is hear-say, but some of it is not: Cartel Alfa trade-union is launching today the Christian-Popular Union

Two months ago the National Trade-Union Block made public its decision to be instrumental in setting up a political party, in response to opinion polls’ findings that 70% of Romanians believe political parties do not represent their interests.
Nothing official came out, but hear-say subsided, claiming that the trade-union had succeeded to buy the New Democracy Party (NDP), lead by Marian Enache, formerly a member of the Alliance for Romania Party. The rumors picked up steam last week, when the NDP allegedly merged with the trade-union, making the new National Democrat Block.

"This is crazy, that’s all I can tell you," said Dumitru Costin, head of the National Trade-Union Block when asked to comment. "These are just rumors. You will get an official press-release that will clear things up," said Costin. Also two months ago, his trade-union made public a plan to merge with the other two main trade-unions, Cartel Alfa and CNSLR Fratia, and started negotiations to that end.

Meanwhile, the Cartel Alfa trade-union went on with its own plans and launched today an association to be called the Christian-Popular Union. Its president will be the Cartel Alfa leader, Bogdan Iuliu Hossu, and its executive president will be the former National Liberal Party member of the House, Ioan Cezar Coraci.

"We are attempting to become partners in a dialogue of all Christian-Democrat forces, to which we put forth a project for unification. We would never turn into a political party, but stay a nongovernmental organization," said George Huiu, the current executive director of the Christian Popular Union. He said his association would never compete with the trade-union that founded it and that the membership will be of people who are solely non politically affiliated. Huiu denied his leaning towards ideas founding the Christian-Democrat trade union movement as well as a future membership of Cartel Alfa into the International Confederation of Work, which is of Christian-Democrat hue. But Hossu, the leader of Cartel Alfa, said: "It is a well-known fact that I lean towards the ideas that founded the Christian-Democrat trade-union movement. I had no talks with any Christian-Democrat party in Romania."