Party of Free People
Romanian political party
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Party of Free People (Romanian: Partidul Oamenilor Liberi, Hungarian: Szabad Emberek Pártja, German: Partei Der Freien Menschen, abbr. POL) is a regionalist and localist political party in Romania. The party was founded in October 2015 by Dan Mașca, Cătălin Hegheș, Radu Bălaș and Eugen Tothpal.[1]
Radu Bălaș
Cătălin Hegheș
Eugen Tothpal
Party of Free People Partidul Oamenilor Liberi Szabad Emberek Pártja Partei der Freien Menschen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Abbreviation | POL |
| President | Dan Mașca |
| Founders | Dan Mașca Radu Bălaș Cătălin Hegheș Eugen Tothpal |
| Founded | 26 October 2015 |
| Headquarters | Strada Poștei 1, Târgu Mureș |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre |
| Senate | 0 / 136 |
| Chamber of Deputies | 0 / 330 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 33 |
| Mayors | 0 / 3,176 |
| County Councilors | 0 / 1,340 |
| Local Council Councilors | 5 / 39,900 |
| Website | |
| oameniliberi | |
Ideology and political program
According to the president of POL, Dan Mașca, the party does not have a clearly established ideology. Broadly speaking, it is a regionalist party that opts for participatory democracy and decentralization. Also, POL claims to be a party for all ethnicities in Romania, promoting harmony amongst Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Roma etc.[1][2]
Electoral symbol
The electoral symbol of the Party of Free People is two joined palms, the abbreviated name "POL", the full Romanian name "Partidul Oamenilor Liberi", the Hungarian name "Szabad Emberek Pártja" and the German name "Partei der Freien Menschen".[3]
Electoral history
According to the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), at the 2016 local elections, Freemen's Party obtained five local councilor mandates. At the 2020 local elections, the party obtained two county councilors mandates, one mayoral mandate and 35 local councilor mandates.[4]
Local elections
| Election | County Councilors (CJ) | Mayors | Local Councilors (CL) | Popular vote | % | Position | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | ||||
| 2016 | 10,335 | 0.12 | 0 / 1,393 |
6,837 | 0.08 | 0 / 3,179 |
7,340 | 0.08 | 5 / 40,297 |
N/a | N/a | 28th |
| 2020 | 14,123 | 0.20 | 2 / 1,393 |
16,527 | 0.20 | 1 / 3,179 |
22,060 | 0.28 | 35 / 40,297 |
N/a | N/a | 25th |
| 2024 | N/a | N/a | N/a | 1.755 | 0.02 | 0 / 3,179 |
5.747 | 0.06 | 5 / 40,297 |
N/a | N/a | 51st |
Presence in cities
After 2024 local elections
| City | Mayor | # | Local Council | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percentage | Council | Swing | Aftermath | |||
| Târgu Mureș | 1.29 / 100 |
8 | 4.049 | 6.69 (#6) | 2 / 23 |
 0 |
Opposition |
After 2020 local elections
| City | Mayor | # | Local Council | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percentage | Council | Swing | Aftermath | |||
| Odorheiu Secuiesc | 68.26 / 100 |
1 | 7,662 | 61.62 (#1) | 12 / 19 |
 12 |
POL |
| Târgu Mureș | 50.54 / 100 1 |
1 | 4,009 | 7.18 (#4) | 2 / 23 |
2 |
Support |
| Gheorgheni | N/a | N/a | 324 | 6.02 (#4) | 1 / 17 |
 1 |
Opposition |
| Sângeorgiu de Pădure | N/a | N/a | 173 | 8.87 (#3) | 1 / 15 |
1 |
Opposition |
- Notes
1 Independent candidate endorsed by both POL and UDMR
Potential deletion from the party register
Although from 2015 the law on party registration has become less restrictive, the term local party does not appear in the law. Therefore, many parties – including POL – that do not meet the conditions of the law are at risk of being dissolved.[5]
