Áron Csonka (Serbian Cyrillic: Арон Чонка, romanized: Aron Čonka; born 25 November 1976) is a politician in Serbia from the country's Hungarian national minority community. Since 2010, he has been the leader of the Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians (Vajdasági Magyarok Demokratikus Közössége, VMDK). He was a member of the Assembly of Vojvodina from 2016 to 2020.

Early life and private career

Csonka is a graduate of the University of Novi Sad's Faculty of Philosophy, holding a degree in Serbian language and literature. He was taught the Serbian language at the technical high school in Ada.[1]

Politician

Early years (2000–10)

Csonka was first elected to the Ada municipal assembly in the 2000 Serbian local elections, which the VMDK contested in a local alliance with other Hungarian parties and the Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS).[2] He was re-elected in the 2004 local elections, in which the VMDK ran its own list and won three mandates.[3] He also ran for the Ada constituency seat in the 2004 Vojvodina provincial election and was defeated.

The VMDK joined the Hungarian Coalition in 2008, and Csonka appeared in the lead position on the coalition's electoral list in Ada for the 2008 local elections. He was re-elected after the list won nine mandates.[4][5][6][7] When the municipal assembly convened, he was chosen as its president (i.e., speaker) for the term that followed.[8] Csonka also appeared on the Hungarian Coalition's lists in the 2008 Serbian parliamentary election and the 2008 Vojvodina provincial election, although he was not given a mandate at either level.[9][10]

VMDK party leader (2010–present)

Csonka was chosen as the VMDK's leader in October 2010, following the unexpected death of Sándor Páll.[11]

The VMDK contested the 2012 Serbian parliamentary election as part of the All Together political coalition, and, as a party leader, Csonka was given the fifth position on the list.[12] All Together won only a single mandate, which went to its lead candidate, Emir Elfić. Csonka was also defeated for the Ada constituency seat in the concurrent 2012 provincial election. The VMDK contested the 2012 local election in Ada on its own; Csonka led the party's list and was re-elected when it won a single mandate.[13][14]

For the 2014 Serbian parliamentary election, the VMDK joined Boris Tadić's coalition list, and Csonka appeared in the fiftieth position.[15] The list won eighteen mandates and he was not elected.

Csonka was elected to the Vojvodina assembly in the 2016 provincial election, which the VMDK contested with the Hungarian Movement; he appeared in the second position on the alliance's list and was elected when it won two mandates.[16] The election was won by the Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska napredna stranka, SNS) and its allies, and Csonka served in opposition. He also led the alliance's list for Ada in the 2016 local elections and was elected to a fifth term locally when the list won two mandates.[17] The VMDK did not contest the 2016 Serbian parliamentary election; Csonka encouraged the party's supporters to reject "chauvinist parties of the extreme right" and vote for "the guardians of the fire of democratic values at the republic level."[18]

The VMDK joined the Alliance for Serbia (Savez za Srbiju, SzS), a broad coalition of parties opposition to Aleksandar Vučić's administration, in 2019.[19] It later joined the successor United Opposition of Serbia (Udružena Opozicija Srbije, UOPS) and boycotted the 2020 Serbian elections.[20][21]

Hungarian community representative

Csonka is a supporter of increased autonomy for the Hungarian community in Vojvodina. In 2013, he was quoted as saying, "If 80,000 Serbs from four municipalities in Kosovo will get broad autonomy, the realization of which has already begun on the basis of the Brussels Agreement, in that case Hungarians in the southern regions [i.e., Vojvodina] rightly demand broad autonomy."[22]

He was the VMDK's list bearer in the 2014 elections for Serbia's Hungarian National Council, though he chose to appear in the thirty-fifth and final position on its list. Election from this position was a statistical impossibility, and he was not elected when the list won two mandates.[23]

Although the VMDK has sometimes co-operated with the rival Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség, VMSZ), Csonka has often been critical of the party and its leader István Pásztor.[24] In 2019, he accused the VMSZ of having become in some respects a branch of the SNS in Vojvodina.[25]

Electoral record

Provincial (Vojvodina)

2012 Vojvodina assembly election
Ada (constituency seat) - First and Second Rounds[26]
Jožef Tobiaš (incumbent) Choice for a Better Vojvodina–Bojan Pajtić 3,816 42.75 6,144 78.92
Ferenc Irmenji United Regions of Serbia–Ferenc Irmenji 1,452 16.27 1,641 21.08
Ferenc Ileš Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians–István Pásztor 1,366 15.30
Stevan Morović Let's Get Vojvodina Moving–Tomislav Nikolić: Serbian Progressive Party, New Serbia, Movement of Socialists, Strength of Serbia Movement 644 7.21
Áron Csonka Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians 638 7.15
Jožef Bernat Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS), United Serbia (JS), Social Democratic Party of Serbia (SDP Serbia) 436 4.88
Rudolf Križan League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina–Nenad Čanak 423 4.74
Atila Šipoš Hungarian Hope Movement 151 1.69
Total valid votes 8,926 100 7,785 100
2004 Vojvodina assembly election
Ada (constituency seat) - First and Second Rounds[27]
Jožef Mičiz Citizens' Group: With Knowledge and Heart for a Successful Municipality–Irmenji Ferenc Feco 3,494 47.66 4,039 65.41
Šandor Bakoš Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 892 12.17 2,136 34.59
Zoltan Palatinuš Coalition: Together for Vojvodina–Nenad Čanak 860 11.73
Árun Csonka Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians 840 11.46
Ištvan Zolcer Democratic Party (Demokratska partija) 554 7.56
Valerija Stražmešterov Serbian Radical Party 364 4.97
Ištvan Šterbik G17 Plus 327 4.46
Total valid votes 7,331 100 6,175 100
Invalid ballots 272 159
Total votes casts 7,603 45.50 6,334 37.91

References

  1. ↑ "Aron Čonka novi predsednik DZVM", Radio Television of Vojvodina, 26 October 2010, accessed 2 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Izbori, 2000. Za Odbornike Skupština Opština i Gradova, Bureau of Statistics – Republic of Serbia, p. 38.
  3. ↑ Lokalni Izbori – Republika Srbija, Lokalni Izbori 2004; Bureau of Statistics, Republic of Serbia; p. 51.
  4. ↑ Službeni List (Opštine Ada), Volume 41 Number 13 (29 April 2008), p. 26.
  5. ↑ Službeni List (Opštine Ada), Volume 41 Number 16 (15 May 2008), p. 5.
  6. ↑ Službeni List (Opštine Ada), Volume 41 Number 21 (8 July 2008), p. 3.
  7. ↑ For the 2008 local elections, all mandates were assigned to candidates on successful lists at the discretion of the sponsoring parties or coalitions. See Law on Local Elections (2007), Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 129/2007; made available via LegislationOnline, accessed 29 May 2021. Csonka did not automatically receive a mandate by virtue of leading the list.
  8. ↑ Službeni List (Opštine Ada), Volume 41 Number 21 (8 July 2008), p. 5.
  9. ↑ Csonka was given the 228th position on the coalition's list in 2008 parliamentary election. See Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 11. маја 2008. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (7 МАЂАРСКА КОАЛИЦИЈА - ИШТВАН ПАСТОР), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 26 October 2021. The list won four mandates. From 2000 to 2011, Serbian parliamentary mandates were awarded to sponsoring parties or coalitions rather than to individual candidates, and it was common practice for mandates to be awarded out of numerical order. Csonka could have been awarded a mandate despite his relatively low list position, though in fact he was not.) See Serbia's Law on the Election of Representatives (2000) stipulated that parliamentary mandates would be awarded to electoral lists (Article 80) that crossed the electoral threshold (Article 81), that mandates would be given to candidates appearing on the relevant lists (Article 83), and that the submitters of the lists were responsible for selecting their parliamentary delegations within ten days of the final results being published (Article 84). See Law on the Election of Representatives, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 35/2000, made available via LegislationOnline, accessed 28 February 2017. For his non-appearance in the assembly, see 11 June 2008 legislature, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 2 December 2021.
  10. ↑ Csonka was given the fifty-third position on the coalition's list in the 2008 provincial election. See Изборне листе за изборе за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне Покрајине Војводине 11. мај 2008. године – Изборна листа 7 - МАЂАРСКА КОАЛИЦИЈА – ИШТВАН ПАСТОР, Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 29 July 2021. As at the republic level, all mandates were awarded at the discretion of the sponsoring parties or coalitions. For his non-appearance in the assembly, see Convocation 2008 - 2012, Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 2 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Aron Čonka novi predsednik DZVM", Radio Television of Vojvodina, 26 October 2010, accessed 2 December 2021.
  12. ↑ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (14 СВЕ ЗАЈЕДНО: БДЗ, ГСМ, ДЗХ, ДЗВМ, Словачка странка - Емир Елфић), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 December 2021.
  13. ↑ Službeni List (Opštine Ada), Volume 45 Number 15 (24 April 2012), p. 14.
  14. ↑ Službeni List (Opštine Ada), Volume 45 Number 18 (7 May 2012), p. 4.
  15. ↑ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 16. и 23. марта 2014. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (11 БОРИС ТАДИЋ - Нова демократска странка - Зелени, ЛСВ - Ненад Чанак, Заједно за Србију, VMDK, Заједно за Војводину, Демократска левица Рома), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 December 2021.
  16. ↑ Изборне листе за изборе за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне покрајине Војводине (Изборна листа 10 - Magyar mozgalom az autonómiáért - Dr. Korhecz Tamás - VMDK - Csonka Áron Мађарски покрет за аутономију - Др Тамаш Корхец - ДЗВМ - Арон Чонка), Izbori 2016, Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 2 December 2021.
  17. ↑ Službeni List (Opštine Ada), Volume 49 Number 15 (13 April 2016), p. 10.
  18. ↑ "Mađarski pokret i DZVM: Mi smo alternativa SVM-u", Radio Television of Serbia, 21 April 2016.
  19. ↑ Radovan Balać, "SVM se ponaša kao istureno mađarsko odeljenje SNS-a", Danas, 5 February 2019, accessed 2 February 2021.
  20. ↑ "Formirana Udružena opozicija Srbije", 021.rs, 10 August 2020, accessed 2 December 2021.
  21. ↑ "Csonka Áron: Számos visszaélés történt a tavalyi szerbiai választásokon", Pannon RTV, 10 March 2021, accessed 2 December 2021.
  22. ↑ "Čonka: Mađarima autonomija kao Srbima na Kosovu", Blic (Source: Beta), 27 October 2013, accessed 2 December 2021.
  23. ↑ Избори за чланове националног савета мађарске националне мањине, одржани 26. октобра 2014. године (непосредни избори) – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (ДЗВМ - ЧОНКА АРОН; VMDK - CSONKA ARON), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 December 2021; and Избори за чланове националног савета мађарске националне мањине, одржани 26. октобра 2014. године (непосредни избори) – РЕЗУЛТАТИ ИЗБОРА (Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за чланове Националног савета мађарске националне мањине), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 December 2021.
  24. ↑ See for instance "Aron Csonka: I Informed the VMSZ Why I Could Not Come to the Talks on Monday", Vajdaság Ma , 21 January 2016, accessed 2 December 2021.
  25. ↑ Radovan Balać, "SVM se ponaša kao istureno mađarsko odeljenje SNS-a", Danas, 5 February 2019, accessed 2 February 2021.
  26. ↑ Source: Резултати избора за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне Покрајине Војводине по већинском изборном систему (2012) (1 Ада), Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 8 August 2017.
  27. ↑ Укупни резултати избора расписаних за 19. септембар 2004. године - већински изборни систем (1 Ада), Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 18 March 2017.
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