January 1999 Mineriad

The 1999 Romanian Coup d'état attempt also called the January 1999 Mineriad was led by miners in Romania against low wages under the leadership of Miron Cozma in January 1999. Protesters marched onto Bucharest and other cities, demonstrating the government's wage policies and low wages, demanding an increase of the wages and better working conditions in the country.

Emil Constantinescu declared that historians are stubborn and use the word mineriad instead of Coup d'état attempt. He also emphasises the context of the Serbia-Kosovo conflict, where later the USA intervened and attacked Serbia by air from Romanian airports.

History

The Jiu Valley miners left again for Bucharest, unhappy with the government's reduction of subsidies, which would result in the closing of the mines.Together with the miners who left for Bucharest, there were also members of PUNR, PRM, PDSR and PS. The mineriad was openly supported by the Greater Romania Party (PRM) and by the president of this party, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, who invited the miners to occupy the Romanian Parliament and to dismiss the government. Miron Cozma, the leader of the miners, was also vice-president of the PRM, being in constant contact with the PRM leadership in Bucharest, which was preparing the arrival of miners in the Romanian capital. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service, PRM contacted the Chinese Communist Party before the strike and the Chinese communists promised financial help to Corneliu Vadim Tudor if he takes over the government of Romania. Ion Iliescu and the Social Democracy Party of Romania (PDSR) endorsed the mineriad (PDSR first-vicepresident Adrian Năstase compared Miron Cozma with a hajduk during a speech), but they were not directly involved in it, unlike the PRM.

The miners crossed the barricade installed by the gendarmes at Costești. Near Râmnicu Vâlcea, a Gendarmerie unit was ambushed by the miners. After reaching Râmnicu Vâlcea, they sequestered the prefect of Vâlcea County.