The anti-Hungarian manifestations in Marosvasarhely (western Romania) after the second round of local elections are far from reflecting a tolerant European mentality.

According to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry the anti-Hungarian manifestations in Marosvasarhely [Tirgu Mures, western Romania] after the second round of local elections [in which a Romanian candidate was elected mayor] are far from reflecting a tolerant European mentality. The former chairman of the County Maros [Mures] branch of the UDMR [Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania], Eloed Kincses, holds the view that a Hungarian politician should be appointed to head the county, replacing the prefect who was elected mayor. Two days after the voting, unknown perpetrators set fire to the statue of the former chief judge of Marosvasarhely, which had not even been unveiled. The newly-elected mayor of the city [Dorin Florea] does not believe that the incident was anti-Hungarian, although he himself condemned the damage. Marosvasarhely, by the way, today received the EU's special flag in recognition of its local tolerance. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry spokesman [Gabor Horvath], filmed by "Newsreel" programme, urged the maintenance of tolerance between the two national communities. In this case and in the future, the Foreign Ministry firmly expects the relevant Romanian authorities and the leadership of Marosvasarhely to take action with all possible means against provocations aimed against the Hungarian national community, since the city in the past has been an example of tolerance, constructive dialogue and coexistence between Hungarians and Romanians.