Emil Boc of the Justice and Truth Alliance (DA) won in the second round run-off against Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate Ioan Rus.
Among his measures seen by many as an affront to the ethnic Hungarian community, Funar asked the municipality to paint many public items—including park benches, pavements and even garbage bins—in the colors of the Romanian flag (blue, yellow and red).
[citation needed] In September 1996, when Romania signed a friendship treaty with Hungary, Funar organized a funeral ceremony on the streets of Cluj-Napoca.
Funar helped Caritas build its credibility by renting space for it in the town hall, appearing with its owner in public and on television, and defending the company from attacks.
He also claims that the theory of relativity was developed by the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu and subsequently stolen by Albert Einstein (described by Funar as a "retarded individual").