Hungarian President Pal Schmitt on Monday called on political organisations of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian communities to work for unity, portal Politics.hu reports.

The president, paying a two-day visit to Cluj in central Romania, held talks with leaders of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, the Hungarian Civic Party, the Szekler National Council and the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania on Monday morning.

The president stressed that political organisations in Transylvania need to get prepared for a census, as well as local and general elections to take place before the end of 2012.

The four organisations should encourage ethnic Hungarians to declare their ethnicity at the census in October-November 2011 and jointly find the best candidates for the elections, Schmitt said.

“Just as we emphasize unity of the nation in Hungary, we expect the same from Hungarian organisations in other countries,” Schmitt said, adding that unity was essential for building strength.

The president arrived in Cluj on Sunday at the invitation of the International Association of Hungarian Studies.

On Sunday Schmitt addressed the closing event of the Hungarian Days in the city’s main square.

Following his talks on Monday, Schmitt opened the International Congress of Hungarian Studies, of which he and Traian Basescu, his Romanian counterpart, are chief patrons.