The Research Directorate found very little information concerning the size, composition and situation of the Macedonian or Slav - Macedonian minority in Romania, among sources consulted for this Response. Its existence is exemplified by references on several online sites to a political party called the Slav Macedonian Associations in Romania (UK April 2002; Romania n.d.; CEPSR Spring 2001), or the Asociatia Macedonenilor Slavi din Romania (AMSR) (University of Essex n.d.a).

Vasile Ioan Savu, who represents a Bucharest constituency and is a member of the Parliamentary Group of the National Minorities, represents the AMSR in parliament (Romania. n.d.). In accordance with Romanian electoral law, the AMSR parliamentary presence results from it "passing the minimum margin of 1,273 votes" in the 2000 election (Rompres 4 Dec. 2000). Although not listed as contesting either the 1996 or the 1992 elections, according to the 26 November 2000 results, the AMSR received 8,809 votes (University of Essex n.d.a) from three constituencies, Cluj, Hunedoara and Bucuresti (Bucharest) (ibid. n.d.b). The validation of AMSR member Savu (here erroneously called Slavu) as a Chamber deputy was "initially rejected ... on the grounds that the ethnic minorit[y] represented by [him] did not exist (Evenimentul Zilei 28 Feb. 2001). His application was however accepted on 27 February 2001 (ibid.). No further information concerning this political party or the Macedonian minority was found among sources consulted.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Central European Political Science Review (CEPSR) [Brno, Czech Republic]. Spring 2001. Maxamilián Strmiska. "Parties, Poles, Alliances and Romanian Pluralism, 1990-2000." http://www.iips.cz/cisla/druhecislo2001.html [Accessed 30 July 2002]

Evenimentul Zilei [Internet Version, in Romanian]. 28 February 2001. "Romanian Parliamentary Commission Validates Ethnic Minority Deputies." (FBIS-EEU-2001-0228 28 Feb. 2001/WNC)

Foreign Broadcast Information Service refers to Evenimentul Zilei as a "popular, privately owned daily; known for investigative journalism and criticism of the political establishment without regard to political orientation" (Evenimentul Zilei 28 Feb. 2001).

Romania. Chamber of Deputies. n.d. "Legislature 2000 - Present." http://www.cdep.ro/pls/parlam/fp2?i=36 [Accessed 30 July 2002]

Rompres [Bucharest, in Romanian]. 4 December 2000. "Central Electoral Bureau Publishes New Romanian Parliamentary Configuration." (FBIS-EEU-2000-1204 4 Dec 2000/WNC)

Rompres is a government press agency (Rompres 4 Dec. 2000).

United Kingdom (UK). Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Home Office. April 2002. Romanian Assessment. http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/default.asp?PageId=574 [Accessed 30 July 2002]

University of Essex. Department of Geography. n.d.a. Project on Political Transformation and the Electoral Process in Post - Communist Europe. "Parliamentary Election: Chamber of Deputies." http://www2.essex.ac.uk/elect/databasess/indexElections.asp?country=ROMANIA&election=ro20cd [Accessed 30 July 2002]

_____. n.d.b. Project on Political Transformation and the Electoral Process in Post - Communist Europe. "Romania - Constituency Data." http://www2.essex.ac.uk/elect/database/indexCountry.asp?country=ROMANIA&opt=con [Accessed 30 July 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

Countries of the World 2002

Europa 2001

IRB Databases

NEXIS

Unsuccessful attempt to contact the Congress of Romanian Americans

Unsuccessful attempt to contact the Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada

Unsuccessful attempt to contact the Romanian Ministry for Public Information, Department for Interethnic Affairs

Internet sites including:

Balkan Human Rights Web

Congress of Romanian Americans

Council of Europe, Minorities Home Page

Geonative
Interethnic Relations in Bulgaria and Romanian: Basic

Facts

Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada

MINELRES

Romania. Ministry of Public Information. Department of Interethnic Relations

World News Connection