National Salvation Front
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The National Salvation Front (or even better translated National Rescue Front, in Romanian Frontul Salvării Naţionale, FSN) was the governing body of Romania in the first weeks after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, subsequently turned into a political party. FSN is the common root of the two most important left-wing political parties in Romania today: the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Democratic Party (PD).
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[edit] History
[edit] Creation and rise to power
In March 1989 six prominent members of the Communist Party write an open letter to Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu that criticises his abuses of power and his economic policies. The so-called "letter of the six" is circulated in the Western media and read on Radio Free Europe, where it is described as the manifesto of an underground organisation called the National Salvation Front (FSN). The demonstrations spread to Bucharest. On 21 December 80,000 to 100,000 people gather outside the headquarters of the Communist Party in Republican Square in a mass rally. Nicolae Ceauşescu flees in a helicopter, but is captured 100 km away, tried and executed.
FSN was officially created on 22 December 1989 and took the power from the Communist authorities. Leadership of the FSN was assumed by Ion Iliescu. Iliescu named Petre Roman as interim Prime Minister. Other early members of the FSN were Dumitru Mazilu, Silviu Brucan, Mircea Dinescu, Ion Caramitru.
FSN decreed the abolishment of the one-party system and the convocation of elections. Shortly after, the two most important pre-Communist Romanian parties, the National Peasants' Party and the National Liberal Party, were registered, as PNŢCD and PNL respectively.
On February 6, 1990 the FSN (who comprised mostly former second and third-rank Communist Party members), transformed itself into a political party, in order to be able to run in the upcoming elections. This, and the fact that FSN was virtually in control of the country, led to worries that Communism was far from being ousted from Romania.
Anti-FSN demonstrations were mounted by the opposition parties PNŢCD and PNL in late January and late February 1990. In turn, Iliescu called on the 'working class' to support the FSN against what he called "fascist forces, trying to destabilise the country". This has resulted in what were named the first and second Mineriads.
However FSN agreed to allow other parties to participate in the provisional government. The new governing body, the Provisional National Unity Council (Consiliul Provizoriu de Uniune Naţională, CPUN), still dominated by FSN, would run the country from early February 1990 until the elections.
Another, much larger, demonstration (the Golaniad) against FSN's participation in the elections was organised in April 1990 and lasted 52 days, until 13-15 June when it was violently repressed by the third Mineriad.
[edit] First post-Communist government
FSN and its candidate Ion Iliescu comfortably won the legislative and presidential elections on 20 May 1990, obtaining a majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Petre Roman remained Prime Minister, and its government started cautious economic reforms.
[edit] Breakup
After growing tensions between Iliescu and Roman, on April 7, 1992, Iliescu and many other members left the FSN and created the Democratic National Salvation Front (Frontul Democrat al Salvării Nationale, FDSN), which eventually developed to the current Social Democratic Party (Partidul Social Democrat, PSD).
Petre Roman remained leader of the FSN. On May 28, 1993, the party was renamed Democratic Party - National Salvation Front (Partidul Democrat - Frontul Salvării Naţionale, PD-FSN), before shortening its name to Democratic Party (PD).
[edit] Legacy
In one way or another, the National Salvation Front had and still has a major impact on the post-1989 Romanian politics. The parties that emerged from the National Salvation Front (the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Party) governed or participated in government coalitions from 1990 until today. Also the current Romanian President Traian Băsescu entered politics as a FSN member and served as Minister of Transportation in several FSN governments. It is worth quoting what Băsescu (from the Democratic Party) remarked rhetorically in a live TV debate with Adrian Năstase (from the Social Democratic Party) before the 2004 run-off presidential election:
"You know what Romania's greatest curse is right now? It's that Romanians have to choose between two former Communist Party members."
[edit] Election results
[edit] Chamber of deputies
| Year | Votes | Percentage | Seats | Percentage of seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9,089,659 | 66.31% | 263 | 66.41% |
| 1992 | 1,108,500 | 10.19% | 43 | 13.11% |
[edit] Senate
| Year | Votes | Percentage | Seats | Percentage of seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9,353,006 | 67.02% | 91 | 76.47% |
| 1992 | 1,139,033 | 10.38% | 18 | 12.58% |
