Romanian miners’ leader Miron Cozma, who served 10 years in prison for leading the miners’ riot back in 1991, recently said that he wants to officially launch his party, the Social Democratic Labor Party, and run for presidency in 2014. However, Miron Cozma also plans to run independently for next year’s presidential election, in case his party will not be registered by then.

Miron Cozma is a former Romanian labor union organizer and leader of Romania's Jiului Valley coal miners' union. In 1991, he led the miner’s riot (mineriada) which overthrew the reformist Petre Roman government. In January 1999, Cozma led another miner’s protest against the government’s intention to close down several mines in Jiului Valley.

At the beginning of February 1999 Miron Cozma was sentenced by the Supreme Court of Justice to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the 1991 riots, and was released in June 2005. In September 2005, he was again sentenced to 10 years of prison for the 1999’s riots. Miron Cozma was finally released in December 2007, having a restriction on entering Romanian city of Petrosani and Bucharest.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com