UDMR demands the resignation of Demeter András after the audio recording scandal: “It is the natural and responsible gesture”

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The scandal caused by the appearance of an audio recording attributed to the Minister of Culture, Demeter András István, generates the first official reactions from within UDMR. The spokesperson of the formation, Csoma Botond, sent a public position on Monday, May 25, in which the Union delimits itself from the minister’s statements and claims that his resignation is “the natural and responsible gesture”.

The reaction comes after the publication 2mnews.ro published an audio recording that it claims captures a conversation held by the minister inside the Ministry of Culture. In the fragment attributed to Demeter András István, he evokes an episode from the period when he was part of the management of Radio Romania, in the context of the investigation regarding the acquisition of Radio Chisinau.

In the recording, the minister states: “I say: Madam prosecutor, you can play as much as you want, but if I get angry, I’ll go now, that we are still in the board of directors – all the others who voted for this money are still in the management of the radio -, we are going well, we notify the Russians, we sell the radio for 5 million (no, euros), you no longer have the alleged damage, the Romanian state will win, it will be at a profit. And I put my p…a in the national interest, because I am Hungarian! So you should give me a statue, because I did what you were not able to do, and you put me down there too”.

UDMR is limited to the minister’s statements

In the message published on FacebookCsoma Botond states that the UDMR rejects both the language used and the content of the statements attributed to the Minister of Culture.

“Regarding the audio material that appeared in the public space and attributed to the Minister of Culture, Demeter András István, the UDMR delimits both the vulgar language and the content of such statements, incompatible with the responsibility of a public office and likely to affect trust in state institutions and in the values of the public service. For the Union, respect for the public interest, the democratic functioning of the institutions and Romania’s Euro-Atlantic path represent clear and assumed principles”, the spokesperson said of the formation.

He stated that, in the opinion of the party, the resignation of the minister is the necessary solution in the current political and public context.

“We believe that, in such a context, the resignation of the minister is the natural and responsible gesture. Statements of this type do not only affect the image of a person, but project unfair and lasting effects on the Hungarian community and on its political representation. That is precisely why it is important that public responsibility is assumed with lucidity and decency”, wrote Csoma Botond.

In the same message, the UDMR representative appealed to avoid generalizations and political exploitation of the case.

“At the same time, we believe that this situation must be treated with balance and responsibility, without political instrumentalization and without turning an individual controversy into a discourse that stigmatizes an entire ethnic community. Criticism of certain statements or behaviors cannot justify collective generalizations and labeling,” he concludes.

Also, Mihail Neamțu (GOLD) asked the minister to resign: “In any state that still preserves a minimum of institutional decency, such a public slip would have been followed by a resignation immediate. The position of Minister of Culture cannot be turned into a tribune of vulgarity, contempt for the national interest and identity resentment. Out of respect for the institution he occupies, for Romanian culture and for the citizens of this country, the UDMR minister must submit his resignation”.