Romanian general election, 1937
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in Romania
on 20 and 22 December 1937. It was Romania's last election before King Carol II
dissolved Parliament and instituted a royal dictatorship the following February. By the next elections
under the 1923 Constitution
, Romania had passed through two dictatorships and a third was rapidly consolidating. It was also the last election held under universal male suffrage.
The first round of elections was for the Assembly of Deputies
, then for the Senate
. During the first round, clashes occurred at Orhei
and Târgu Mureş, killing four and leading to 300 arrests. After the vote, the Electoral Commission surprised observers by deciding, in its allocation of seats by proportional representation
, to count the entire country as one district, rather than use smaller districts, as had been the norm.
Gheorghe Tătărescu
's Liberals
, who had been in office since 1933, made an unexpectedly poor showing at the polls (failing to obtain 40% of the vote, which would have automatically guaranteed them a large parliamentary majority). Since they could not form a coalition with either their arch-rivals the National Peasants' Party
or with the Iron Guard
's party, Totul pentru Ţară, King Carol invited the poet Octavian Goga
to form a government, despite the fact that his party finished fourth and had an avowedly anti-Semitic platform.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
on 20 and 22 December 1937. It was Romania's last election before King Carol II
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
dissolved Parliament and instituted a royal dictatorship the following February. By the next elections
Romanian general election, 1946
The Romanian general election of 1946 was a general election held on November 19, 1946, in Romania. Officially, it was carried with 79.86% of the vote by the Romanian Communist Party , its allies inside the Bloc of Democratic Parties , and its associates — the Hungarian People's Union , the...
under the 1923 Constitution
1923 Constitution of Romania
The 1923 Constitution of Romania, also called the Constitution of Union, was intended to align the organisation of the state on the basis of universal male suffrage and the new realities that arose after the Great Union of 1918. Four draft constitutions existed: one belonging to the National...
, Romania had passed through two dictatorships and a third was rapidly consolidating. It was also the last election held under universal male suffrage.
The first round of elections was for the Assembly of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
, then for the Senate
Senate of Romania
The Senate of Romania is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 137 seats , to which members are elected by direct popular vote, using Mixed member proportional representation in 42 electoral districts , to serve four-year terms.-Former location:After the Romanian...
. During the first round, clashes occurred at Orhei
Orhei
Orhei is a city and the administrative centre of Orhei District in Moldova with a population of 25,680. Orhei is approximately 50 kilometers north of the capital, Chişinău.-Demographics:...
and Târgu Mureş, killing four and leading to 300 arrests. After the vote, the Electoral Commission surprised observers by deciding, in its allocation of seats by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, to count the entire country as one district, rather than use smaller districts, as had been the norm.
Gheorghe Tătărescu
Gheorghe Tatarescu
Gheorghe I. Tătărescu was a Romanian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of Romania , three times as Minister of Foreign Affairs , and once as Minister of War...
's Liberals
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
, who had been in office since 1933, made an unexpectedly poor showing at the polls (failing to obtain 40% of the vote, which would have automatically guaranteed them a large parliamentary majority). Since they could not form a coalition with either their arch-rivals the National Peasants' Party
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party was a Romanian political party, formed in 1926 through the fusion of the Romanian National Party from Transylvania and the Peasants' Party . It was in power between 1928 and 1933, with brief interruptions...
or with the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
's party, Totul pentru Ţară, King Carol invited the poet Octavian Goga
Octavian Goga
Octavian Goga was a Romanian politician, poet, playwright, journalist, and translator.-Life:Born in Răşinari, nearby Sibiu, he was an active member in the Romanian nationalistic movement in Transylvania and of its leading group, the Romanian National Party in Austria-Hungary. Before World War I,...
to form a government, despite the fact that his party finished fourth and had an avowedly anti-Semitic platform.