Presidential election

The last presidential election was held on 10 and 24 November 2019.

European Parliament election

The last European Parliamentary election was held on 26 May 2019.

Summary of the May 2019 European Parliament election results in Romania

Party				No. of Candidates	Votes	Elected	Change in seats	% of seats	% of votes
National Party		EU Party	EP Group
	National Liberal Party[a] (Romanian: Partidul Naţional Liberal)	EPP[a]	EPP Group[a]	43	2,449,068	10		30.30%	27.00%
	Social Democratic Party (Romanian: Partidul Social Democrat)	PES	S&D	43	2,040,765	9		27.27%	22.50%
	2020 USR-PLUS Alliance (Romanian: Alianța 2020 USR-PLUS) Save Romania Union[b] (Romanian: Uniunea Salvați România) Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (Romanian: Partidul Libertății, Unității și Solidarității)	—	ALDE&R[c]	40[g]	2,028,236	8	8	24.24%	22.36%
	PRO Romania (Romanian: PRO România)	EDP	S&D[e] ECR[f]	43	583,916	2	0	6.06%	6.44%
	People's Movement Party (Romanian: Partidul Mișcarea Populară)	—	EPP Group	43	522,104	2	2	6.06%	5.76%
	Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (Romanian: Uniunea Democrată a Maghiarilor din România)	EPP	EPP Group	43	476,777	2	0	6.06%	5.26%
	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (Romanian: Alianța Liberalilor și Democraților)	ALDE	—	43	372,760	0	2	0%	4.11%
	Independent candidate: Peter Costea	—	—	1	131,021	0	0	0%	1.44%
	Independent candidate: George-Nicolae Simion	—	—	1	117,141	0	0	0%	1.29%
	Independent candidate: Gregoriana Carmen Tudoran	—	—	1	100,669	0	0	0%	1.11%
	National Union for the Progress of Romania (Romanian: Uniunea Națională pentru Progresul României)	—	No MEPs	43	54,942	0	0	0%	0.61%
	Prodemo Party (Romanian: Partidul Prodemo)	—	No MEPs	26	53,351	0	0	0%	0.59%
	United Romania Party (Romanian: Partidul România Unită)	—	No MEPs	30	51,787	0	0	0%	0.57%
	Romanian Socialist Party (Romanian: Partidul Socialist Român)	—	No MEPs	28	40,135	0	0	0%	0.44%
	Independent Social Democratic Party (Romanian: Partidul Social Democrat Independent)	—	No MEPs	43	26,439	0	0	0%	0.29%
	National Unity Block - NUB (Romanian: Blocul Unității Naționale - BUN)	—	No MEPs	12	20,411	0	0	0%	0.23%
Total: 18,267,256 expected voters (turnout – 51.20%)				483	9,352,472	33	1	100%	100%
Source: Summary of the results

Notes:

1. ^{^} After the 2014 election, PNL merged with PD-L/PDL and joined the EPP, and EPP Group.
2. ^{^} Prior to the 2019 election, Save Romania Union had no MEPs, and no European affiliation.
3. ^{^} According to the website of the ALDE Group, USR PLUS will be part of its new group called "ALDE plus Renaissance plus USR-PLUS.
4. ^{^} Monica Macovei, the founder of the M10 party, was ousted.
5. ^{^} Daciana Sârbu sits with the S&D.
6. ^{^} Laurențiu Rebega sits with the ECR.
7. ^{^} After the lists have been approved by the Central Electoral Bureau, three candidates of the 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance have renounced their candidacy. The Central Electoral Bureau ruled the elimination of said positions on the list.^[4]

Legislative election

The latest legislative election was held on 6 December 2020. The two tables below are represented the results for both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies:

Chamber of Deputies

Seat distribution in the Chamber of Deputies in Romania after the 6 December 2020 legislative election:

  PSD: 110 seats

  PNL: 93 seats

  USR PLUS: 55 seats

  AUR: 33 seats

  UDMR: 21 seats

  National minorities: 18 seats

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party	1,705,777	28.90	110	–44
	National Liberal Party	1,486,401	25.19	93	+24
	2020 USR-PLUS Alliance	906,962	15.37	55	+25
	Alliance for the Union of Romanians	535,828	9.08	33	New
	Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania	339,030	5.74	21	0
	People's Movement Party	284,501	4.82	0	–18
	PRO Romania Social Liberal	241,267	4.09	0	–20
	Ecologist Party of Romania	65,807	1.12	0	0
	Humanist Power Party (Social-Liberal)	59,465	1.01	0	0
	Greater Romania Party	32,654	0.55	0	0
	National Rebirth Alliance	21,662	0.37	0	New
	Green Party	20,614	0.35	0	0
	Romanian Socialist Party	19,693	0.33	0	0
	Party of the Roma "Pro Europe"	14,523	0.25	1	0
	New Romania Party	14,089	0.24	0	0
	League of Albanians of Romania	9,029	0.15	1	0
	Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania	7,582	0.13	1	0
	Association of Macedonians of Romania	7,144	0.12	1	0
	Hellenic Union of Romania	6,096	0.10	1	0
	Union of the Ukrainians of Romania	5,457	0.09	1	0
	Democratic Union of Slovaks and Czechs of Romania	5,386	0.09	1	0
	Community of the Lipovan Russians	5,146	0.09	1	0
	Bulgarian Union of Banat–Romania	4,853	0.08	1	0
	Union of Serbs of Romania	4,691	0.08	1	0
	Association of Italians of Romania	4,170	0.07	1	0
	Union of Armenians of Romania	3,820	0.06	1	0
	Cultural Union of Ruthenians of Romania	3,779	0.06	1	0
	Union of Poles of Romania	3,750	0.06	1	0
	Noua Dreaptă	3,551	0.06	0	0
	Democratic Turkish Union of Romania	3,539	0.06	1	0
	Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania	3,509	0.06	1	0
	Union of Croatians of Romania	3,345	0.06	1	0
	Democratic Union of Turkish-Muslim Tatars	2,862	0.05	1	+1
	National Peasant Party Maniu-Mihalache	2,727	0.05	0	0
	Right Alternative	2,005	0.03	0	New
	Social Democratic Workers' Party	1,912	0.03	0	New
	Romanian Nation Party	1,752	0.03	0	New
	Re:Start Romania Party	537	0.01	0	New
	National Unity Bloc	293	0.00	0	0
	Communists' Party	213	0.00	0	New
	National Force Party	148	0.00	0	New
	Independents	56,346	0.95	0	0
Total		5,901,915	100.00	330	+1
Valid votes		5,901,915	97.43
Invalid/blank votes		155,859	2.57
Total votes		6,057,774	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		18,964,642	31.94
Source: BEC

Senate

Seat distribution in the Senate of Romania after the 6 December 2020 legislative election:

  PSD: 47 seats

  PNL: 41 seats

  USR PLUS: 25 seats

  AUR: 14 seats

  UDMR: 9 seats

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party	1,732,276	29.32	47	–20
	National Liberal Party	1,511,225	25.58	41	+11
	2020 USR-PLUS Alliance	936,862	15.86	25	+12
	Alliance for the Union of Romanians	541,935	9.17	14	New
	Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania	348,262	5.89	9	0
	People's Movement Party	291,484	4.93	0	–8
	PRO Romania Social Liberal	244,225	4.13	0	–9
	Ecologist Party of Romania	78,654	1.33	0	0
	Humanist Power Party (Social-Liberal)	70,536	1.19	0	0
	Greater Romania Party	38,474	0.65	0	0
	National Rebirth Alliance	23,773	0.40	0	New
	Romanian Socialist Party	23,093	0.39	0	0
	Green Party	23,085	0.39	0	0
	New Romania Party	19,516	0.33	0	0
	Noua Dreaptă	4,345	0.07	0	0
	Social Democratic Workers' Party	3,855	0.07	0	New
	National Peasant Party Maniu-Mihalache	2,803	0.05	0	New
	Right Alternative	2,233	0.04	0	New
	Romanian Nation Party	2,061	0.03	0	New
	Communists' Party	763	0.01	0	New
	Re:Start Romania Party	753	0.01	0	New
	National Unity Bloc	410	0.01	0	0
	National Force	268	0.00	0	New
	Independents	7,440	0.13	0	0
Total		5,908,331	100.00	136	0
Valid votes		5,908,331	97.53
Invalid/blank votes		149,429	2.47
Total votes		6,057,760	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		18,964,642	31.94
Source: BEC

Popular vote PSD   29.32% PNL   25.58% USR PLUS   15.86% AUR   9.17% UDMR   5.89% PMP   4.93% PRO   4.13% Others   5.12%

Seats summary PSD   34.56% PNL   30.15% USR PLUS   18.38% AUR   10.29% UDMR   6.62%

Local election

The latest general local election was held on 27 September 2020.

Constitutional issues

The (Constitutional Court) judges issues of constitutionality invoked in any court and judges the compliance of laws (or other state regulations) with the Romanian Constitution. The court, outside the judicial branch, follows the tradition of the French Constitutional Council with nine judges serving nine-year, non-renewable terms. Since the 2003 revision of the constitution, its decisions cannot be overturned by a parliamentary majority.

1990–1992

An anti-communist and anti-FSN rally in University square in Bucharest

February 1990 Mineriad taking place near Victoria Palace in Bucharest.

The Romanian Communist Party (PCR) officially ceased to exist after the December 1989 Romanian Revolution. An ad interim/acting government swiftly took office starting in late December 1989 which consisted of National Salvation Front (FSN) members and would eventually govern Romania well up until 1992. The FSN had initially not decided to run in the 1990 elections but subsequently retracted their initial position and opted to participate in the 1990 Romanian general election, having the full support of state-owned media and an overwhelming majority of the voters during the electoral campaign, thereby eventually securing a landslide win.

Prior to the 1990 Romanian general election, over 200 new political parties sprang up just after 1989, most of them gravitating towards their leaders rather than revolving around political programs or full-fledged geopolitical agendas. Nevertheless, all major political parties espoused democracy and free market reforms to varying degrees or extents. The largest political party by far, the governing National Salvation Front (FSN), proposed slow, cautious economic reforms, and an artificial, weak social safety net (mostly for the working class of the still operating factories of the heavy industries).

In stark contrast, the main opposition parties, more specifically the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNŢCD), favored rapid, sweeping economic reforms, immediate privatization (which would have caused a shock therapy) as well as a drastic reduction and even total exclusion of former Communist Party (PCR) members from public Romanian political life. Apart from PCR members, the early demands of the Romanian historical democratic parties were also the reduction of the undercover members of the former Securitate (which could have been PCR members as well) from all areas of public life (thereby endorsing the Proclamation of Timișoara and the lustration law against the former Romanian secret police).

In the 1990 presidential and legislative elections, the FSN and its presidential candidate, Ion Iliescu, won with a large majority of the votes (67.02 and 85.07 percent, respectively). The strongest opposition parties in the Senate were the Hungarian minority-oriented Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) (with 7.20 percent) and the National Liberal Party (PNL) (with 7.06 percent), followed by the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚCD) with only 2.50 percent and the Romanian Ecologist Party (with only 1.38 percent) as well other minor centre-right parties (e.g. Liberal Union–Brătianu, National Reconstruction Party of Romania, and the Democratic Group of the Centre) with less than one percent.

After FSN Prime Minister Petre Roman's dismissal a few months before the 1992 general elections (following a late 1991 Mineriad), the FSN split in two. President Iliescu's supporters formed a new political party, namely the Democratic National Salvation Front (FDSN) which will later turn into PDSR and then PSD, while Roman's supporters retained the FSN name (which will later turn into PD and then PDL respectively).

1992–1996

Flow chart depicting a detailed list of the political parties active in Romania since 1990, along with their afferent secessions and fusions/mergers.

The 1992 local, legislative, and presidential elections indicated a major political rift between the urban centres and the countryside. Rural voters, grateful for the restoration of most agricultural land to farmers but fearful of change, strongly favored President Iliescu and the FDSN; the urban electorate favored the CDR (a coalition of several parties – the strongest of which were the PNŢCD and the PNL – and several other civic organizations as well) and quicker reform. Iliescu easily won re-election from a field of five other candidates, and the FDSN won a plurality/relative majority of seats in both chambers of the Romanian Parliament.

With the CDR, the second-largest parliamentary group, reluctant to participate in a national-unity coalition, the FDSN (now the PDSR) formed a government under Prime Minister and economist Nicolae Văcăroiu with parliamentary support on behalf of the nationalists Romanian National Unity Party (PUNR) and Greater Romania Party (PRM) as well as the extreme left-wing Socialist Party of Labour (PSM) led by former PCR Prime Minister Ilie Verdeț. The future coalition would be labeled by the press as the "Red Quadrilateral" (originally known in Romanian as Patrulaterul Roșu).^[5]

In January 1994, the governing coalition's stability became problematic when the PUNR threatened to withdraw its support unless it received cabinet portfolios. After intense negotiations, two PUNR members received cabinet portfolios in the Văcăroiu government in August of the same year. The following month, the incumbent Justice Minister also joined the PUNR. Nevertheless, subsequently, the PRM and the PSM left the coalition in October and December 1995, respectively.

1996–2000

The 1996 local elections indicated a major shift in the political orientation of the Romanian electorate, with opposition parties sweeping Bucharest and most of the larger cities in Transylvania, Banat, Bukovina, and Dobruja. The trend continued in that year's legislative and presidential elections when the opposition dominated the cities and made strong inroads into rural areas previously dominated by President Iliescu and the PDSR (which lost many voters in their traditional stronghold constituencies outside Transylvania).

The opposition campaign emphasized the need to squelch corruption and introduce economic reform favoring liberalization and the free market. This message resonated with voters, resulting in a historical victory for the CDR coalition and the election of Emil Constantinescu as president (partly due to Corneliu Coposu's death as well). To secure its electoral majority, the CDR invited Petre Roman's Democratic Party (the former FSN) and the UDMR/RMDSZ (representing the Hungarian minority) to join the government. Although over the next four years, Romania had three prime ministers (and despite internal frictions), the governing parties preserved their coalition and initiated a series of much-needed reforms.

2000–2004

Constantinescu stated in 2000 that he is no longer running for a second term, claiming that the system had defeated him. The CDR-led coalition with its new candidate Mugur Isărescu lost the first round of presidential elections held in November 2000 as a result of popular dissatisfaction with infighting among the constituent parties during the preceding four years and the economic hardship brought about by structural reforms. In the second round, Ion Iliescu, running again as the Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate, won by a wide margin over extreme nationalist Greater Romania Party (PRM) candidate Corneliu Vadim Tudor. Iliescu subsequently appointed Adrian Năstase Prime Minister. In the Parliament, the PSD government (like its predecessor) relied on the support of the UDMR/RMDSZ, which did not join the cabinet but negotiated annual packages of legislation and other measures favoring Romania's ethnic Hungarians (essentially through a confidence and supply agreement).

Năstase, in his four years as Prime Minister, continued the previous government's pro-Western foreign policy. The period was characterized by political stability unprecedented in post-communist Romania and consistent economic growth. Romania joined NATO in the spring of 2004 and signed an accession treaty to join the EU in 2007. However, the PSD government was plagued by allegations of corruption which would be significant factors in its eventual defeat in local and national elections in 2004.

In September 2003, the Democratic Party (PD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL) formed an electoral alliance, more specifically the Justice and Truth (DA) Alliance, as a mainstream opposition bloc to the ruling PSD. The DA Alliance agreed, among other measures, to vote as a bloc in the parliament and local councils and run common candidates in national and local elections. In October 2003, the country held a referendum on several constitutional amendments deemed necessary for EU accession. The amendments included provisions to allow foreigners to own land in Romania and to change the president's term from four to five years.

2004–2008

In 2004, Traian Băsescu, the then-leader of the Democratic Party (PD), won the presidential election by a narrow margin. Băsescu subsequently appointed former national liberal leader Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu as Prime Minister. Popescu-Tăriceanu headed a government composed of the PNL, PD, UDMR/RMDSZ, and PC (formerly known as the Romanian Humanist Party or PUR).^[6] In order to secure a parliamentary majority, the coalition government relied on the support of 18 parliamentary seats reserved for ethnic-minority representatives.

The government's narrow majority in the Parliament led to calls for early elections. In July 2005, Prime Minister Popescu-Tăriceanu voiced plans to resign, prompting new elections; he then backtracked, noting his and the cabinet's need to focus on relief efforts for summer floods. During its first year, the government was also tested by a successfully-resolved hostage crisis involving three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq and avian influenza in several parts of the country, transmitted by wild birds migrating from Asia.

The government's overriding objective was the accession of Romania to the European Union (EU), and on 1 January 2007 Romania became the 26th member of the EU. The government also maintained good relations with the United States, signing an agreement in December 2005 which would allow American troops to train and serve at several Romanian military facilities. Băsescu and Popescu-Tăriceanu pledged to combat high-level corruption and implement broader reforms to modernize sectors such as the judicial system and healthcare.

On 19 April 2007, the Romanian Parliament suspended President Băsescu on charges of unconstitutional conduct. The suspension, passed by a 322–108 vote, opened the way for a national referendum on impeachment^[7] which failed by a large popular vote, and as such Băsescu was reinstated as President.

2008–2012

The November 2008 parliamentary elections were close, with the Social Democrats (PSD) winning 33.9 percent of the vote, President Traian Băsescu's centre-right Liberal Democrats (PDL) taking 32.34 percent, and the ruling National Liberals (PNL) receiving 18.6 percent.^[8] The Liberal Democrats and Social Democrats formed a coalition after the election. Former prime minister Theodor Stolojan withdrew his candidacy for the premiership and President Băsescu nominated Emil Boc, president of the Liberal Democrats, as prime minister.

With the onset of the Great Recession, the Romanian political scene saw tensions between the president and the prime minister on the one hand as well as between the general population on the other hand. Tensions escalated with a 2012 political crisis and another attempt to impeach President Băsescu. In the referendum, more than 7.4 million people (nearly 90 percent) supported Băsescu's removal from office. However, the Constitutional Court invalidated the referendum because the majority of the population did not vote (the voter turnout was 46%); Băsescu had called the referendum a coup d'état and asked the public to boycott it. All these events have been heavily criticized by international political figures, most notably by German chancellor Angela Merkel.^[9][10]

2012–2016

Protest against Roșia Montană Project in Bucharest in 2013, taking place near the National Library of Romania.

The 2013 protests against the Roșia Montană Project turned into an anti-government social movement.

The legislative elections of 9 December 2012 were seen by the public as an opportunity for change and to oust Băsescu. The Social Liberal Union (USL) received a large majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate (60.07 and 58.61 percent of the vote, respectively) and a record 395 seats. The new prime minister, Victor Ponta, quickly formed a government but the failure to adopt reforms quickly triggered a wave of protests against a government seen as not fulfilling the promises of the 2012 electoral campaign. Two other projects of national interest (shale drilling and the Roșia Montană mining project) unleashed more protests. The demonstrations, initially ecological in focus, became anti-government protests.

In early 2014, the PNL broke away from the USL and entered opposition. Along with the PDL, the PNL formed the Christian Liberal Alliance (ACL) to support the candidature of Klaus Iohannis as President of Romania and later agreed on a future merger that would retain the name of the National Liberal Party (PNL). Iohannis won a surprise victory in front of the incumbent PM Victor Ponta in the second round of the 2014 presidential elections, by a margin of 54.43%.^[11] At that time, many voters abroad were rightfully angry because they were not all given the right to cast their ballots, which represented one of the key reasons for Ponta's defeat.

In late 2015, another series of nationwide protests ultimately prompted Prime Minister Victor Ponta's resignation. Shortly afterward, President Iohannis appointed then independent-technocrat Dacian Cioloș as Prime Minister,^[12] who led a likewise independent-technocratic government between late 2015 and early 2017.

2016–2020

Massive anti-corruption protest in Bucharest in January 2017 against the then-ruling PSD-ALDE socialist government led by former PM Sorin Grindeanu.

The legislative elections of 11 December 2016 saw a predictable comeback of the PSD as the major party in the Romanian Parliament, as most opinion polls gave them an electoral score of at least 40%. Alongside ALDE (a main splinter group from the PNL), the PSD initially formed a governing coalition under Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu.^[13]

In early 2017, a series of massive nationwide protests (the greatest in Romania's history) requested Grindeanu's resignation and early elections because of the government's secret procedure of giving an ordinance modifying the Penal Code and Penal Procedure Code on the night of 31 January. The PM along with the entire government refused to step down but decided to withdraw the decrees that started the protests on 5 February at the protests' peak.

Approximately four months later, tensions arose between PM Sorin Grindeanu and PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, which ultimately resulted in the loss of political support for the government on behalf of the PSD-ALDE coalition. The PM refused to resign but was eventually dismissed by a motion of no confidence passed by the Parliament with 241 votes (233 minimum needed).

Quickly afterward, Mihai Tudose was proposed by the socialists for the position of Prime Minister and was subsequently accepted by president Iohannis.^[14] However, just after 6 months of governance, he resigned from this dignity. Consequently, the ruling coalition nominated a new Prime Minister candidate in the person of Viorica Dăncilă, a former socialist MEP in 2014–19 who was also accepted by the state president. She was also the first female Prime Minister of Romania.^[15] Subsequently, on 4 November 2019, after a motion of no confidence, the PSD minority government was replaced by a minority cabinet led by the National Liberal Party under Ludovic Orban.^[16] Furthermore, in November 2019, President Klaus Iohannis was re-elected by a landslide (with FDGR/DFDR, USR PLUS, and PMP support in the second round).^[17]

This period (i.e. the two years spanning between 2017 and 2019) was marked by governmental mayhem produced by the previous PSD-ALDE ruling coalition regarding their change of PMs as well as their intentions of changing both the Penal Code and the Penal Procedure Code, the Romanian society took to the streets of Bucharest and many other major cities of the country in huge numbers for more than 500 consecutive days in order to oppose the modification of these law packages, prompt early elections, as well as a referendum on the topic of justice.^[18]

2020–present

The 2020 Romanian local elections which were held on 27 September were won by the PNL. Nonetheless, on 6 December, the PNL finished second in the 2020 Romanian legislative election. The election was won by the oppositional Social Democrats (PSD) who came in first. Shortly after the official results came out, Orban resigned from his position as PM and was replaced by Nicolae Ciucă as acting/ad interim PM.^[19]

In the meantime, the national liberals proceeded to negotiate the formation of a coalition government alongside USR PLUS and UDMR for a reportedly stable center-right governance for the next four years in Romania. The newly designated PM was therefore Florin Cîțu, a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), who took office on 23 December 2020, after forming a three-party, center-right coalition consisting of the PNL, the USR PLUS, and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ).^[20]

Subsequently, in early September 2021, USR PLUS decided to exit the Cîțu Cabinet and so the three centre-right party alliance was officially disbanded, inadvertently leading to the major 2021 Romanian political crisis which lasted for nearly three months, until Nicolae Ciucă was invested PM along with the CNR cabinet in late November 2021.^[21] On 15 June 2023, Marcel Ciolacu (PSD) was sworn in as the new Romanian Prime Minister. Rotating premiership had been long agreed as part of a deal by the ruling coalition.^[22] Since the investment of the CNR cabinet, Romania experience a shift towards authoritarianism and illiberalism.^{[23][24][25][26]}