Romania’s interim culture minister resigns after controversy over leaked audio recording

Demeter András resigned on Monday, May 25, from his position as interim culture minister after a leaked audio recording sparked controversy in Romania. The resignation came after Kelemen Hunor, the leader of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), publicly asked him to step down over remarks described as vulgar and unacceptable.

The recording, published by local news website 2mnews.ro, was reportedly made inside the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in November last year. In the conversation, Demeter reportedly recalled a 2012 episode when he was questioned in a case linked to the acquisition of Radio Chișinău by Romania’s public broadcaster, which he led at the time.