The Timișoara Proclamation is a planned document presented on 11 March 1990 during a large gathering held in Victory Square ('Operei'). Proposed by George Serban, the text was analysed and approved by the Society "Timișoara". It was then translated into English, German and French and distributed to major news agencies at home and abroad.
The document's most famous demand was point 8, which stated that former activists of the Romanian Communist Party or former officials of the "Securitate" would not be allowed to hold public office for three terms. In addition, the proclamation called for former communist activists to be banned from running for president of Romania, according to electoral law.
This form of ban is called lustration. The lustration did not affect those who were ordinary party members before 1989, but only those who held important positions in the Communist Party and the "Securitate" and were among the beneficiaries of the advantages of the communist regime.
Although the initiative was supported by numerous citizens', professionals', student associations and social organizations of intellectuals, it was not accepted by the authorities in Bucharest. Most historians today believe that the Timisoara Proclamation was a wasted opportunity to accelerate the separation from the communist legacy.
Excerpt from Murgescu, Bogdan (Hrsg.) (2001). Istoria României în texte. București: Corint.
Author: Nicolae Șerban
Translator: Nicole Olariu