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The Front of Socialist Unity and Democracy (Romanian: Frontul Democrației și Unității Socialiste, FDUS) was a political alliance in Romania during the communist era, dominated by the Romanian Communist Party (PCR).
History
The alliance was formed in 1968 as the Front of Socialist Unity (Frontul Unității Socialiste, FUS), and remamed the Front of Socialist Unity and Democracy in 1980. It brought together all legal political parties in the country, replacing the People's Democratic Front. Like its predecessor, it was organised and directed by the PCR. The minor parties in the front were completely subservient to the PCR, and had to accept its "leading role" as a condition of their continued existence. The general secretary of the PCR was also the chairman of the Front.
Voters were presented with a single list of FUS/FDUS candidates in every election between 1969 and 1985. As such, the Front won every seat in the Great National Assembly at every election, each time claiming well over 97 percent of the vote. No prospective candidate could run for office without the Front's approval--in effect, allowing the Front (and through it, the PCR) to predetermine the composition of the legislature.