Romania : Government

Romania Government Profile 2012

The constitution of 1948 established Romania as a Communist state. In 1989 the Communist government was overthrown and an interim government was formed. The new government abolished the Communist party's monopoly on political power.

In 1991 a new constitution, making Romania a parliamentary democracy, was approved in a nationwide vote. Legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament, made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The president, who is the head of state, is elected by popular vote. The prime minister, who is the head of government, is appointed by the president with the approval of parliament.

Country name

Conventional long form:

none

Conventional short form:

Romania

Local long form:

none

Local short form:

Romania

Government type:

republic

Capital

Name:

Bucharest

Geographic coordinates:

44 26 N, 26 06 E

Time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Daylight saving time:

(+)1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Independence:

9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin); 26 March 1881 (kingdom proclaimed); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:

Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)

Constitution:

8 December 1991; revised 29 October 2003

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state:

President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004)

head of government:

Prime Minister Emil BOC (since 22 December 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Marko BELA (since 23 December 2009)

Cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

Elections:

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 November 2009 with runoff on 6 December 2009 (next to be held in November-December 2014); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the Parliament

Election results:

Traian BASESCU reelected president; percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 50.3%, Mircea GEOANA 49.7%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (137 seats; members elected by popular vote in a mixed electoral system to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera Deputatilor (334 seats; members elected by popular vote in a mixed electoral system to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 30 November 2008 (next expected to be held in November 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 30 November 2008 (next expected to be held in November 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PC 34.2%, PD-L 33.6%, PNL 18.7%, UDMR 6.4%, other 7.1%; seats by alliance/party - PSD-PC 49, PD-L 51, PNL 28, UDMR 9; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PC 33.1%, PD-L 32.4%, PNL 18.6%, UDMR 6.2%, ethnic minorities 3.6%, other 6.1%; seats by alliance/party - PD-L 115, PSD-PC 114, PNL 65, UDMR 22, ethnic minorities 18

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice (comprised of 11 judges appointed for three-year terms by the president in consultation with the Superior Council of Magistrates, which is comprised of the minister of justice, the prosecutor general, two civil society representatives appointed by the Senate, and 14 judges and prosecutors elected by their peers); a separate body, the Constitutional Court, validates elections and makes decisions regarding the constitutionality of laws, treaties, ordinances, and internal rules of the Parliament; it is comprised of nine members serving nine-year terms, with three members each appointed by the president, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies

Political parties and leaders :

Conservative Party or PC [Daniela POPA] (formerly Humanist Party or PUR); Democratic Liberal Party or PD-L [Emil BOC]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Crin ANTONESCU]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA] (formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: various human rights and professional associations

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the three colors were used by various national revolutionary movements in the 19th century; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed note: now similar to the flag of Chad, whose blue band is darker; also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova