Romanian legislative election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Legislative
elections were held in Romania
on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party
(PD-L) won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies
and the Senate
, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party
(PSD) won a fractionally higher vote share.
had wanted to introduce a single-winner two-round electoral system
before this election, but a 2007 referendum
on the proposal failed on insufficient turnout. A new electoral system was introduced as a compromise. Thus, this was the first suffrage in which the electoral system was changed from party-list proportional representation
to a mixed member proportional representation
system, and the first one to feature sub-county constituencies, called electoral college
s (colegii electorale). A candidate wins in any electoral college in which they obtain more than 50% of the vote. Seats where no candidate wins an outright majority are then allocated using the D'Hondt method
. If necessary, the number of seats for each chamber is raised, by giving supplementary seats. An electoral threshold was applied of 5% for each chamber; or winning at least six colleges for the Chamber of Deputies
and three colleges for the Senate
by more than 50%. There was an additional adjustment for the Chamber of Deputies around the national minorities candidates.
(PSD) and the Conservative Party
(PC); the liberal-conservative
Democratic Liberal Party
(PD-L); and the liberal
National Liberal Party
(PNL).
Other significant contenders were the ethnic Hungarian party Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
(UDMR) and the right-wing nationalist Greater Romania Party
(PRM), both of whom were represented in the previous Parliament.
The first exit-polls, published by INSOMAR after the polls were closed, predicted the results for the Chamber of Deputies as:
PSD+PC - 36.2%
PD-L - 30.3%
PNL - 20.4%
UDMR - 6.7%
And for the Senate:
PSD+PC - 35.9%
PD-L - 31.1%
PNL - 19.9%
UDMR - 6.7%
Compared to the 2004 election
, the -led alliance fell back a few percent in the national vote share. The and had competed in the last election together as the Justice and Truth Alliance, but had split in April 2007. The made significant gains in 2008 to become the largest party in both houses, while the made smaller gains. Support for the was largely unchanged. The obtained 13% of the national vote for the Chamber in 2004, but failed to make the 5% threshold for representation this year. Another nationalist party, the , again failed to cross the 5% threshold for representation.
to those candidates that are members of the parties with parliamentary groups. That is that for the 2008 - 2012 legislature only the PD-L
, PSD+PC, PNL
, UDMR
, and the representatives of the national minorities can have candidates for by-elections.
in the Council of Administration of the National Bank of Romania as Deputy-Governor, in the Bucharest
number 1 electoral college will be held the first by-election of this legislature. The election will take place on 17 January 2010. Only two persons where allowed to run: Radu Stroe
, representing the National Liberal Party
and Honorius Prigoană, representing the Democratic Liberal Party
. The Social Democratic Party
decided not to propose a candidate and to sustain the PNL
candidate. The winner was Radu Stroe
.
Daniela Popa resigned from the Chamber of Deputies
as she is about to take office as President of the Insurance Supervising Committee ( - CSA). She is also stepping down from the office of president of the Conservative Party
. The
PNL
decided not to have its own candidate, but to sustain the PSD+PC candidate, based on the gentlemen's agreement
for the Bucharest CD 1 college. PSD
proposed PC
member and former Romanian Lottery director Liliana Mincă, and PD-L
proposed former TV show host Teo Trandafir. The winner was Teo Trandafir.
Following the death of Ioan Timiş in the Chamber of Deputies
constituency no. 22
, electoral college no. 3 are held partial elections in 28 November 2010. All the parties propose candidates, and the winner is former Minister of Labour, Mariana Câmpeanu, representing PNL
.
of former Presidential candidate
Remus Cernea. Also this is the first year in which the Social Democratic Party
, the National Liberal Party
, and the Conservative Party
have common candidates under the Social Liberal Union.
In January 2011, the representative of the Macedonians in Romania, Liana Dumitrescu, died. As she was a representative of a national minority
, her seat had no college. As a result, for the rest of the legislature, there will be a vacant seat in the Chamber of Deputies
.
In April 2011 Victor Surdu
died, thus vacating a seat in the Chamber of Deputies
, constituency no. 29 (Neamț County
), college no. 6. The election day was set to be the same for the CD 26-2 college, 21 August 2011. The seat was won by the PD-L
candidate, Adrian Rădulescu, secretary of state in the Ministry of Agriculture.
In May 2011, Cătălin Cherecheş won the partial elections for the office of Mayor of Baia Mare
, thus vacating a second seat in the Chamber of Deputies
, constituency no. 26 (Maramureş County
), college no. 2. The election day was set to be the same for the CD 29-6 college, 21 August 2011. The seat was won by the USL candidate, Florin Tătaru.
On 30 August 2011, Zoltán Pálfi died. For this newly vacated seat from the Chamber of Deputies
, constituency no. 13 (Cluj County
), college no. 9, the Government
has to establish a pooling date. As the timeline specified in the law may be influenced by the President of the Chamber of Deputies
, there is a possibility for this seat to remain vacant until the 2012
on-time elections.
It was expected that a grand coalition
of the social democrats and the liberal conservatives would be formed.
Initially the Prime Minister designate
was Theodor Stolojan
, the party
's official candidate. He was (publicly) designated Prime Minister
by the President
Traian Băsescu
on 11 December 2008, the official decree being issued and printed in the Monitorul Oficial
the next day.
On 15 December 2008, four days after his nomination, and one day after the coalition protocol was signed, Theodor Stolojan
announced that he resigned from the position of Prime Minister designate
, without giving any political nor personal reason. The same day, President
Traian Băsescu
signed the decree that nominated the Mayor of Cluj-Napoca
, and president of the Emil Boc
. Boc aims to create a government with the Social Democrats
and bring Romania out of the economic crisis.
Boc's coalition government was approved by parliament in a 324-115 vote and was sworn in on 22 December 2008.
Mircea Geoana
of the Social Democratic Party became the new head of the Senate
, with Roberta Alma Anastase
of the Democratic Party as the new President of the Chamber of Deputies
.
Parliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
elections were held in Romania
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 November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
(PD-L) won most seats in both the Chamber 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...
and 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...
, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
(PSD) won a fractionally higher vote share.
Electoral System
President Traian BăsescuTraian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
had wanted to introduce a single-winner two-round electoral system
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
before this election, but a 2007 referendum
Romanian voting system referendum, 2007
A referendum on changing the voting system to single-member voting was held in Romania on 25 November 2007, on the same date as the election to the European Parliament...
on the proposal failed on insufficient turnout. A new electoral system was introduced as a compromise. Thus, this was the first suffrage in which the electoral system was changed from party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
to a mixed member proportional representation
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
system, and the first one to feature sub-county constituencies, called electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
s (colegii electorale). A candidate wins in any electoral college in which they obtain more than 50% of the vote. Seats where no candidate wins an outright majority are then allocated using the D'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
. If necessary, the number of seats for each chamber is raised, by giving supplementary seats. An electoral threshold was applied of 5% for each chamber; or winning at least six colleges for the Chamber 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...
and three colleges 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...
by more than 50%. There was an additional adjustment for the Chamber of Deputies around the national minorities candidates.
Contenders
The main contenders in the election were the centre-left alliance made up of the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
(PSD) and the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (Romania)
The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition...
(PC); the liberal-conservative
Liberal conservatism
Liberal conservatism also known as progressive conservatism is a variant of political conservatism which incorporates liberal elements. As "conservatism" and "liberalism" have had different meanings over time and across countries, the term "liberal conservatism" has been used in quite different...
Democratic Liberal Party
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
(PD-L); and the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
National Liberal Party
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...
(PNL).
Other significant contenders were the ethnic Hungarian party Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania....
(UDMR) and the right-wing nationalist Greater Romania Party
Greater Romania Party
The Greater Romania Party is a Romanian radical right-wing, ultra-nationalist political party, led by Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The party is sometimes referred to in English as the Great Romania Party....
(PRM), both of whom were represented in the previous Parliament.
Opinion polling
| Polling Firm | Date | Source | PDL Democratic Liberal Party (Romania) The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance... |
PSD Social Democratic Party (Romania) The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always... |
PNL 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... |
PNG New Generation Party The New Generation Party – Christian Democratic is a nationalist, Christian democratic political party in Romania.... |
UDMR Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania.... |
PRM Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party is a Romanian radical right-wing, ultra-nationalist political party, led by Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The party is sometimes referred to in English as the Great Romania Party.... |
PC Conservative Party (Romania) The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition... |
PNTCD Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party (Romania) The Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party is a Romanian Christian-Democratic party... |
PIN National Initiative Party The National Initiative Party is a small Romanian political party.... |
PCM Hungarian Civic Party The Hungarian Civic Party is a political party of the Hungarian minority in Romania. It was founded in 2001 as the Hungarian Civic Union and was formally registered as a party on March 14, 2008... |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMAS | 26/06/2008 | http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/809817/Basescu-si-Oprescu-despartiti-de-cinci-procente/ | 40% | 26% | 18% | 5% | 5% | 3% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| INSOMAR | 22-30/07/2008 | http://www.realitatea.net/insomar--traian-basescu-ar-fi-votat-de-58prc--dintre-alegatori_325946.html | 38% | 26% | 16% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | N/A |
| ATLE | 25-05/08-09/2008 | http://www.adevarul.ro/index.php?section=articole&screen=index&rss=1&id=370229 | 30.2% | 33.1% | 16% | 3.2% | 4.8% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 1.1% | 2% | N/A | N/A |
| Metro-Media | 1-16/09/2008 | http://www.citynews.ro/Barometrul-Metro-Media-7-din-romani-nu-au-auzit-de-Basescu+19777 | 37% | 28% | 17% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 1% | 3% | N/A | N/A |
| INSOMAR | 12-17/09/2008 | http://www.realitatea.net/insomar--pd-l-conduce-in-preferintele-electoratului-cu-39prc---iar-stolojan-este-preferat-pentru-functia-de-premier_351281.html | 39% | 25% | 20% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 1% | N/A | N/A | 1% | N/A |
| Polling Firm | Date | Source | PDL Democratic Liberal Party (Romania) The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance... |
PSD Social Democratic Party (Romania) The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always... + PC Conservative Party (Romania) The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition... |
PNL 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... |
PNG New Generation Party The New Generation Party – Christian Democratic is a nationalist, Christian democratic political party in Romania.... |
UDMR Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania.... |
PRM Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party is a Romanian radical right-wing, ultra-nationalist political party, led by Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The party is sometimes referred to in English as the Great Romania Party.... |
PNTCD Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party (Romania) The Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party is a Romanian Christian-Democratic party... |
PIN National Initiative Party The National Initiative Party is a small Romanian political party.... |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCSB | 22-25/09/2008 | http://www.antena3.ro/stiri/politica/alianta-psd-pc-pe-primul-loc-in-preferintele-electoratului-integral-ultimul-sondaj-ccsb_54600.html | 34% | 36% | 20% | 2% | 5% | 3% | 1% | N/A | N/A |
| CURS | 10-23/10/2008 | http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/826551/Campania-electorala-incepe-cu-sondajul-EVZ/ | 32% | 31% | 18% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 1% | 1% | N/A |
| CCSB | 25-27/10/2008 | http://www.szabadsag.ro/szabadsag/servlet/szabadsag/template/article%2CPArticleScreen.vm/id/17026 | 34% | 37% | 18% | 2% | 6% | 3% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| INSOMAR | 30-03/10-11/2008 | http://alegeriparlamentare2008.ro/emain/articolul/827716/Traian-Basescu-si-PDL-in-preferintele-alegatorilor | 37% | 32% | 17% | 3% | 6% | 5% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| CCSB | 11/11/2008 | http://www.antena3.ro/stiri/politica/sondaj-ccsb-alianta-psd-pc-continua-sa-conduca-in-preferintele-electoratului_57706.html | 34.5% | 37.7% | 14.4% | 2.3% | 6.6% | 4.0% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| BCS | 10-14/11/2008 | http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-politic-5145070-sondaj-bcs-conduce-intentia-vot-urmat-psd-pnl.htm | 34.4% | 31.8% | 19.9% | 1.9% | 5.1% | 3.6% | N/A | N/A | 25.5% |
| BCS | 17-21/11/2008 | http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-politic-5162600-sondaj-bcs-mentine-primul-loc-preferintele-electoratului-absenta-urne-creste.htm | 32.6% | 31.2% | 21.4% | 2.9% | 6.1% | 4.1% | N/A | N/A | 29,5% |
| INSOMAR | 21-23/11/2008 | http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-politic-5165357-saptamana-inaintea-alegerilor-psd-35-32-pnl-21.htm | 32% | 35% | 21% | 3% | 5% | 3% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| CSOP | 19-23/11/2008 | http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-politic-5167770-sondaj-csop-primul-loc-34.htm | 34% | 31% | 21% | 3% | 7% | 3% | N/A | N/A | 27% |
| BCS | 23-26/11/2008 | http://media.hotnews.ro/media_server1/document-2008-11-27-5173290-0-sondajul-bcs.pdf | 31.1% | 32% | 21.3% | 3.2% | 6.3% | 4.3% | N/A | N/A | 26% |
The first exit-polls, published by INSOMAR after the polls were closed, predicted the results for the Chamber of Deputies as:
PSD+PC - 36.2%
PD-L - 30.3%
PNL - 20.4%
UDMR - 6.7%
And for the Senate:
PSD+PC - 35.9%
PD-L - 31.1%
PNL - 19.9%
UDMR - 6.7%
Results
According to the official final results, the centre-left alliance led by won 33.1% in the Chamber of Deputies, just ahead of the on 32.4%, with the on 18.6% and the on 6.2%. The alliance led by won 34.2% in the Senate, just ahead of the on 33.6%, with the on 18.7% and the on 6.4%.Compared to the 2004 election
Romanian legislative election, 2004
The Romanian legislative election of 2004 was held on 28 November 2004. 137 seats in the Senate of Romania and 314 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were up for election.The 2004 legislative election was held simultaneously with the presidential election...
, the -led alliance fell back a few percent in the national vote share. The and had competed in the last election together as the Justice and Truth Alliance, but had split in April 2007. The made significant gains in 2008 to become the largest party in both houses, while the made smaller gains. Support for the was largely unchanged. The obtained 13% of the national vote for the Chamber in 2004, but failed to make the 5% threshold for representation this year. Another nationalist party, the , again failed to cross the 5% threshold for representation.
Chamber of Deputies
Senate
By-elections
The law limits the right to run in any by-election for either of the houses of ParliamentParliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
to those candidates that are members of the parties with parliamentary groups. That is that for the 2008 - 2012 legislature only the PD-L
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
, PSD+PC, PNL
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...
, UDMR
Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania
The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, is the main political organisation representing the ethnic Hungarians of Romania....
, and the representatives of the national minorities can have candidates for by-elections.
2010
Following the nomination of Bogdan OlteanuBogdan Olteanu
Bogdan Olteanu is a Romanian politician and lawyer. He was the president of the Chamber of Deputies between 2006 and 2008....
in the Council of Administration of the National Bank of Romania as Deputy-Governor, in the Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
number 1 electoral college will be held the first by-election of this legislature. The election will take place on 17 January 2010. Only two persons where allowed to run: Radu Stroe
Radu Stroe
Radu Stroe is a Romanian navigational engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party , he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Maramureş County from 2000 to 2004, and sat in the Romanian Senate from 2004 to 2008, representing the same county. He returned to the...
, representing the National Liberal Party
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...
and Honorius Prigoană, representing the Democratic Liberal Party
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
. The Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
decided not to propose a candidate and to sustain the PNL
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...
candidate. The winner was Radu Stroe
Radu Stroe
Radu Stroe is a Romanian navigational engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party , he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Maramureş County from 2000 to 2004, and sat in the Romanian Senate from 2004 to 2008, representing the same county. He returned to the...
.
Daniela Popa resigned from the Chamber 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...
as she is about to take office as President of the Insurance Supervising Committee ( - CSA). She is also stepping down from the office of president of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (Romania)
The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition...
. The
PNL
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...
decided not to have its own candidate, but to sustain the PSD+PC candidate, based on the gentlemen's agreement
Gentlemen's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties...
for the Bucharest CD 1 college. PSD
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
proposed PC
Conservative Party (Romania)
The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition...
member and former Romanian Lottery director Liliana Mincă, and PD-L
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
proposed former TV show host Teo Trandafir. The winner was Teo Trandafir.
Following the death of Ioan Timiş in the Chamber 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...
constituency no. 22
Hunedoara County
Hunedoara is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 485,712 and the population density was 69/km².*Romanians - 92%*Hungarians - 5%*Romas - 2%*Germans under 1%....
, electoral college no. 3 are held partial elections in 28 November 2010. All the parties propose candidates, and the winner is former Minister of Labour, Mariana Câmpeanu, representing PNL
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...
.
2011
Starting with 2011 all parties are allowed to propose candidates in partial elections. Up to this date, the law stated that only parties that already have parliamentary representation may propose candidates. The change came after repeated contests to the Constitutional Court of RomaniaConstitutional Court of Romania
The Constitutional Court of Romania is the institution which rules on whether the laws, decrees or other bills enacted by Romanian authorities are in conformity with the Constitution....
of former Presidential candidate
Romanian presidential election, 2009
The first round of 2009 Romanian presidential elections was held in Romania on 22 November and a run-off round between Traian Băsescu and Mircea Geoană was held on 6 December 2009. Although most exit polls favored Geoană in the runoff, the authorities declared Băsescu the narrow victor with 50.33%...
Remus Cernea. Also this is the first year in which the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
, the National Liberal Party
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...
, and the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (Romania)
The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition...
have common candidates under the Social Liberal Union.
In January 2011, the representative of the Macedonians in Romania, Liana Dumitrescu, died. As she was a representative of a national minority
Romanian ethnic minorities parties
The Romanian Constitution , under the contitions imposed by the Electoral Law, reserves a seat in the Chamber of Deputies for the party and cultural association of each ethnic minority in Romania...
, her seat had no college. As a result, for the rest of the legislature, there will be a vacant seat in the Chamber 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...
.
In April 2011 Victor Surdu
Victor Surdu
Raul-Victor Surdu-Soreanu was a Romanian politician who served as the country's first post-Communist Minister of Agriculture following the 1989 Revolution. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party ....
died, thus vacating a seat in the Chamber 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...
, constituency no. 29 (Neamț County
Neamt County
Neamț is a county of Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia, with the county seat at Piatra Neamț. It has three communes, Bicaz-Chei, Bicazu Ardelean and Dămuc in Transylvania.-Demographics:...
), college no. 6. The election day was set to be the same for the CD 26-2 college, 21 August 2011. The seat was won by the PD-L
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
candidate, Adrian Rădulescu, secretary of state in the Ministry of Agriculture.
In May 2011, Cătălin Cherecheş won the partial elections for the office of Mayor of Baia Mare
Baia Mare
Baia Mare is a municipality in northwestern Romania and the capital of Maramureş County. The city is situated about 600 kilometres from Bucharest, the capital of Romania, 70 kilometres from the border with Hungary and 50 kilometres from the border with Ukraine...
, thus vacating a second seat in the Chamber 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...
, constituency no. 26 (Maramureş County
Maramures County
Maramureș is a county of Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare.- History :* The 10th century frontier county of Borsova was founded by Stephen I of Hungary. Since then Máramaros served as the north-eastern border of the Hungarian Kingdom until 1920, the Trianon Peace...
), college no. 2. The election day was set to be the same for the CD 29-6 college, 21 August 2011. The seat was won by the USL candidate, Florin Tătaru.
On 30 August 2011, Zoltán Pálfi died. For this newly vacated seat from the Chamber 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...
, constituency no. 13 (Cluj County
Cluj County
Cluj ; is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Cluj-Napoca.-Demographics:In 2007, it had a population of 692,316 and a population density of 104/km².*Romanians – 80%*Hungarians – 17.5%*Roma – 2.5%-Geography:...
), college no. 9, the Government
Government of Romania
The Government of Romania forms one half of the country's executive branch . It is headed by the Prime-Minister, and consists of the Ministries, various subordinated institutions and agencies, and the 42 Prefectures...
has to establish a pooling date. As the timeline specified in the law may be influenced by the President of the Chamber of Deputies
President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania is the deputy elected to preside over the meetings in the lower chamber of the Parliament of Romania...
, there is a possibility for this seat to remain vacant until the 2012
Romanian legislative election, 2012
Legislative elections will be held in Romania on 30 November 2012....
on-time elections.
Coalition building
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
of the social democrats and the liberal conservatives would be formed.
Initially the Prime Minister designate
Prime Minister of Romania
The Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled President of the Council of Ministers , when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called The Council of Ministers...
was Theodor Stolojan
Theodor Stolojan
Theodor Dumitru Stolojan is a Romanian politician. An economist by training, he is a leader of the Democratic-Liberal Party. He previously served as Prime minister of Romania from September 1991 to November 1992. He and his wife Elena have a son, Vlad Stolojan, and a daughter, Ada Palea...
, the party
Liberal Democratic Party (Romania)
The Liberal Democratic Party was a political party in Romania, formed in December 2006 as a breakaway group from the National Liberal Party...
's official candidate. He was (publicly) designated Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Romania
The Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled President of the Council of Ministers , when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called The Council of Ministers...
by the President
President of Romania
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 . An individual may serve two terms...
Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
on 11 December 2008, the official decree being issued and printed in the Monitorul Oficial
Monitorul Oficial
Monitorul Oficial al României is the official gazette of Romania, in which all the promulgated bills, presidential decrees, governmental ordinances and other major legal acts are published.-External links:...
the next day.
On 15 December 2008, four days after his nomination, and one day after the coalition protocol was signed, Theodor Stolojan
Theodor Stolojan
Theodor Dumitru Stolojan is a Romanian politician. An economist by training, he is a leader of the Democratic-Liberal Party. He previously served as Prime minister of Romania from September 1991 to November 1992. He and his wife Elena have a son, Vlad Stolojan, and a daughter, Ada Palea...
announced that he resigned from the position of Prime Minister designate
Prime Minister of Romania
The Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled President of the Council of Ministers , when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called The Council of Ministers...
, without giving any political nor personal reason. The same day, President
President of Romania
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 . An individual may serve two terms...
Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
signed the decree that nominated the Mayor of Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, and president of the Emil Boc
Emil Boc
Emil Boc is the Prime Minister of Romania, having served since December 2008. In June 2004, he was elected Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania. Boc is also the president of the Democratic Liberal Party, who designated him as Prime Minister in 2008. On October 13, 2009, his...
. Boc aims to create a government with the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
and bring Romania out of the economic crisis.
Boc's coalition government was approved by parliament in a 324-115 vote and was sworn in on 22 December 2008.
Mircea Geoana
Mircea Geoana
Dan Mircea Geoană is a Romanian politician, who served as president of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate from December 20, 2008 until he was revoked by the senators on November 23, 2011. From 21 April 2005 until 21 February 2010 he was the head of the Partidul Social...
of the Social Democratic Party became the new head of 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...
, with Roberta Alma Anastase
Roberta Alma Anastase
Roberta Alma Anastase is a Romanian politician and the first female Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania since 19 December 2008....
of the Democratic Party as the new President of the Chamber 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...
.