DAHR President Béla Markó will be the DAHR presidential candidate for the elections in November—this was the decision reached at the meeting of the DAHR Council of Representatives held on 4 September, 2004 in Targu-Mures. Prior to the parliamentary and presidential elections in November, Béla Markó is thus in the position to transmit the DAHR standing point to the Hungarian community in a „dual condition:” as leader of the DAHR and as its presidential candidate. There were also other names that had previously come up for a presidential candidate but only three of them were officially proposed to the Council. 109 members out of the 114 present voted for Béla Markó.

At the same time, the Council of Representatives unanimously adopted the DAHR Electoral Program. The two key concepts of the program are included in its title, Dialogue for Autonomy. In accordance with its program, the DAHR wishes for autonomy but that can be only achieved through the means of dialogue between the minority and the majority.

Dwelling on the main elements of the program, Béla Markó drew attention to the possibility of establishing the complete legal framework for the cultural autonomy of the Hungarian community—meaning that the law regulating the legal status of minority communities and organizations would lead to the establishment of minority self-governments that oversee, among others, the functioning of educational and cultural institutions. In the past few years, the Hungarian community has come closer to the establishment of territorial-administrative autonomy mainly through the continuous trend of general decentralization that has been taking place in the fields of education, culture, health, social issues, economic development and public order.
Another aim of the DAHR is the establishment of new forms of regional cooperation among the Szekler counties. The Alliance deems it imperative that the present regions of economic development are changed. Further, it also aspires to the setting up of legal gurantees for the proportional representation of minority communities in the various decision-making and executive bodies, including the police and other important institutions.

The drafting of the Electoral Program had been preceded by a comprehensive consultation series within the Hungarian community in Romania and thus it contains the suggestions of civic, professional and youth organizations, as well.
The Council of Representatives also adopted the regulation of preliminary elections. With this regard, Béla Markó drew attention to the fact that the DAHR considers it important that all Hungarians in Romania can vote. All those who have tried to find their political future within the framework of various national councils or the Hungarian Civic Alliance are expected to take part in the preliminary elections and enter the competition.