New Generation Party (Romania)

New Generation Party – Christian Democratic
Partidul Noua Generație - Creștin Democrat
PresidentGigi Becali
Founded2000; 24 years ago (2000)
HeadquartersBlănari Street, Bucharest, Romania
IdeologyRomanian nationalism
Right-wing populism[1]
Christian right
Social conservatism
National conservatism
Political positionRight-wing to far-right
ColoursGreen, white, and light blue
Website
www.png.ro

The New Generation Party – Christian Democratic (Partidul Noua Generație - Creștin Democrat, PNGCD; formerly Partidul Noua Generație, PNG) was a nationalist political party in Romania.

Created in 2000 as a centrist grouping around former Mayor of Bucharest Viorel Lis, it was taken over in January 2004 by businessman Gigi Becali (owner of FC Steaua București), who became its leader. Its ideology has since changed to extreme nationalism and Orthodox Christianity.[2] Since then, it has pursued a radically nationalistic, xenophobic and homophobic scheme.[3] In the 2004 legislative elections, PNG won 2.2% of the popular vote but no seats in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate.

For the 2009 European Parliament election, the PNGCD forged an electoral alliance with the far-right Greater Romania Party (PRM). PNGCD leader Becali was elected member of the European Parliament on the PRM list. The party's ideology under Becali's leadership is close to that of the pre-war fascist Iron Guard (or "Legionary Movement"). It fuses nationalist mythology with Christian Orthodox conservatism.[2] Becali is a self-declared follower of the Legionary Movement.[3] The Romanian National Council for Combating Discrimination has repeatedly charged Becali with homophobic, sexist and discriminatory statements against Romani and other ethnic minorities.[2] The United States Department of State has described the New Generation Party as an "extreme nationalist party" and noted the party's use of a slogan of the 1930s anti-Semitic Legionary Movement.[4]

  1. ^ Berend, Iván T. (2010), Europe Since 1980, Cambridge University Press, p. 134
  2. ^ a b c Cinpoeș, Radu (October 2012), The Extreme Right in Contemporary Romania, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, p. 6
  3. ^ a b Stefan, Adina Marina (2009), Democratization and Securitization: The Case of Romania, Brill, p. 108
  4. ^ International Religious Freedom Report 2006, US Department of State