President of Romania

President of Romania
Preşedintele României

Flag of the President of Romania
Incumbent
Traian Băsescu

since 20 December 2004
Residence Cotroceni Palace
Term length Five years
(renewable once;
terms may be consecutive)
Inaugural holder Nicolae Ceauşescu
Formation 28 March 1974
Website www.presidency.ro
Romania

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Romania



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The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term (since 2004, after the Constitution was modified in 2003). An individual may serve two terms. During his/her term in office, the President may not be a member of any political party. The President of Romania has the right to name the Prime Minister at his discretion after consulting the political parties in the Parliament and if his proposals are turned down by the Parliament two times in 60 days, except for the last 6 months of neither the first or second term, the President can dissolve the Parliament and call for early elections. The President can only name the Prime Minister and not dismiss him from office but can refuse naming of members of the cabinet once and have no right to act the second time, even though the same name is proposed, this happened during Tăriceanu II Cabinet in 2007 by Traian Băsescu, more precisely for Adrian Cioroianu's proposal for Minister of Foreign Affairs who ultimately was dismissed after an unsuccessful year in office.

The current President of Romania is Traian Băsescu, since 20 December 2004. On 20 April 2007 he was suspended from office. He re-assumed the office on 23 May 2007 after a referendum was held. He was re-elected on 6 December 2009 for a second 5 year term that started on 21 December 2009.

Contents

Suspension

An incumbent President who severely violates the Constitution can be suspended from office by the Parliament in joint session. If the suspension motion passes, there is a call for a referendum of dismissal within no more than 30 days from the suspension.

If the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, in joint session, accuses the President of high treason, the President is suspended from powers and duties by right. The accusations are judged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The incumbent President is dismissed by right if found guilty of high treason.

The first President to be suspended was Traian Băsescu, on 20 April 2007. He re-assumed his powers and duties on 23 May 2007, after the Referendum held on 19 May 2007.

Succession

Should the office of the President become vacant due to resignation, suspension, permanent inability to perform the duties of office, or death,[1] the President of the Senate or the President of the Chamber of Deputies, in that order, step in as Ad Interim President of Romania[2] (Romanian: Preşedinte Interimar al României). Neither relinquishes their position as President of their respective Legislative House for the duration of the Ad Interim term. An Ad Interim President cannot address the Parliament, dissolve the Parliament, nor call for a referendum.

List of Presidents

# Name Term begin Term end
1 Nicolae Ceauşescu 22 March 1965 22 December 1989
2 Ion Iliescu 6 February 1990 29 November 1996
20 December 2000 20 December 2004
3 Emil Constantinescu 29 November 1996 20 December 2000
4 Traian Băsescu 20 December 2004 20 April 2007
23 May 2007 21 December 2009
21 December 2009 incumbent
Nicolae Văcăroiu 20 April 2007 23 May 2007

Latest election

e • d Summary of the 22 November and 6 December 2009 Romanian presidential election results
Candidates First round Runoff
Candidate Sustaining Party Votes % Votes %
Traian Băsescu Democratic Liberal Party
(Partidul Democrat Liberal)
3,153,640 32.44 5,275,808 50.33
Mircea Geoană Social Democratic Party + Conservative Party
(Alianţa Electoralǎ Partidul Social Democrat + Partidul Conservator)
3,027,838 31.15 5,205,760 49.66
Crin Antonescu National Liberal Party
(Partidul Naţional Liberal)
1,945,831 20.02
Corneliu Vadim Tudor Greater Romania Party
(Partidul România Mare)
540,380 5.56
Hunor Kelemen Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
(Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România)
372,761 3.83
Sorin Oprescu Independent 309,764 3.18
George Becali New Generation Party – Christian Democratic
(Partidul Noua Generaţie – Creştin Democrat)
186,390 1.91
Remus Cernea Green Party
(Partidul Verde)
60,539 0.62
Constantin Rotaru Socialist Alliance Party
(Partidul Alianţa Socialistă)
43,684 0.45
Gheorghe-Eduard Manole Independent 34,189 0.35
Ovidiu-Cristian Iane Ecologist Party of Romania
(Partidul Ecologist Român)
22,515 0.23
Constantin-Ninel Potîrcă Independent 21,306 0.21
Total valid votes 9,718,840 100 % 10,481,568 100 %
Source: Biroul Electoral Central

See also

References

  1. ^ Constitution of 1991, as revised in 2003 "Article 97: Vacancy of office", retrieved on 11 April 2010
  2. ^ Constitution of 1991, as revised in 2003 "Article 98: Interim of office", retrieved on 11 April 2010

External links