ROMANIA

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Parliament (generic name):

Parlamentul României

Translated name:

Parliament of Romania

Structure:

Bicameral

Chamber:

Camera Deputatilor

Translated name:

Chamber of Deputies

President:

Bogdan Olteanu ( M)

Secretary General:

Titu Gheorghiof ( M)

Members (statutory number):

332

directly elected

Members (current number):

331

Women (current number):

37 ( 11.18%)

Term:

4 years

Last renewal dates:

28 November 2004

Address:

Camera Deputatilor
Palatul Parlamentului
Str. Izvor 2-4, Sector 5
050563 BUCHAREST
Tel.: (4021) 414 18 75
Fax: (4021) 402 21 49
E-mail: webmaster@cdep.ro
Telex: 11801 PCAMD R

Web site:

http://www.cdep.ro

Affiliation to IPU:

Yes

Affiliation date(s):

1891 - 1950
1954

ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Electoral Law:

15 July 1992

Constituencies:

42 multi-member (4 to 29 seats) constituencies; there is one Deputy for every 70,000 inhabitants.

Voting System:

- Proportional representation list system, the number of seats won in each constituency being determined by each party's proportion of the total vote.
- Parties or political organisations must obtain at least 5% of the popular vote to gain parliamentary representation. In the case of political alliances, for the second member party 3% of the validly expressed votes throughout the country is added to the 5% threshold: for each other member of the alliance, beginning with the third one, 1% of the validly expressed votes throughout the country is added, up to a maximum electoral threshold of 10%.
- Legally constituted organizations of citizens belonging to a national minority, which in the elections have not obtained at least one Deputy have the right to a seat if they have obtained throughout the country at least 5% of the average number of validly expressed votes for the election of one Deputy.
- Vacancies arising between general elections are filled by unsuccessful candidates declared substitutes on the corresponding party-list. By-elections can be held in exceptional situations.
Voting is not compulsory.

Voter requirements:

- age: 18 years
- Romanian citizenship
- disqualifications: mentally deficient or alienated persons laid under interdiction and those disenfranchised pursuant to final court decision

Eligibility:

Qualified electors
- age: 23 years
- Romanian citizenship
- residence in Romania

Incompatibilities:

- public officers (except members of the Government)
- prefects, sub-prefects, heads of public services and other governmental authorities of territorial administrative units (in constituencies where exercising functions)
- judges of the Constitutional Court
- advocates of the people
- magistrates
- members of the armed forces on active duty
- policemen
- other categories of civil servants established by organic law, who may not join political parties.

Candidacy requirements:

- candidatures proposed on separate list submitted only by legally constituted parties and other political bodies
- support by at least 0.5% of the voters from constituency concerned for independent candidates
- nominations must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the polling.

LAST ELECTIONS

Also available: Archive of past election results for this chamber

Dates of election / renewal (from/to):

28 November 2004

Purpose of elections:

Elections were held for all the seats in the House of Deputies on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.

Background and outcome of elections:

Romanians voted on 28 November 2004 in the first round of the elections to choose the Head of State to succeed outgoing President Ion Iliescu. Parliamentary elections were held as well to elect all the members in both houses of Parliament. According to the constitution, outgoing President Iliescu was not allowed to seek another term as President and instead he ran for a seat in the Senate under the banner of the ruling Social Democratic Party

Opinion polls showed that the Social Democratic Party (PSD), running in alliance with the Humanist Party (PUR), had a six percentage-point lead over the second-placed Justice and Truth, an alliance of two parties, the centre-left Democrat Party and the centre-right National Liberal Party. The Greater Romania Party (PRM) of Mr Corneliu Vadim Tudor was placed third, with 13 per cent.

A total of 12 candidates ran in the presidential elections but two favourites were outgoing Prime Minister Adrian Nastase (PSD) and the Justice and Truth candidate, Bucharest Mayor Traian Basescu. Both were fervently in favour of Romania joining the EU in 2007, and of maintaining close ties with the United States. They differed on domestic issues. The opposition Justice and Truth alliance said it would fight widespread corruption within the administration and introduce a flat 16 per cent tax on personal income and profits to crack down on the country's widespread illegal economy. The PSD countered by saying it alone had the experience to lead the country.

Analysts said that voters could turn to Justice and Truth's blaming the ruling party for widespread corruption and low living standards but also said that many voters also credited the ruling party for bringing Romania into NATO and for boosting the country's economic growth.

The 18 international observers from 13 states belonging to the Organisation for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Observer Mission, declared that although the elections were well organised and professional, some procedural concerns were raised regarding suspension of the use of voter cards as it might have been possible for some people to vote more than once. The independent Pro-Democracy Association, which had more than 3,000 monitors deployed at polling stations, also raised concerns about how allowing voters to use any polling station in the country could have opened the door to multiple voting. According to the organization voters had admitted to having been paid for their votes in some localities.

On 1 December 2004, the Electoral Bureau announced the final results. According to these results, the PSD-Humanist Party (PUR) alliance had garnered 36.61 per cent of the vote for the Chamber of Deputies, followed by the Justice and Truth alliance (31.33 per cent), the Greater Romania Party (PRM) (12.92 per cent), and the Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) (6.17 per cent). In the Senate, the PSD-PUR alliance lead with 37.13 per cent, followed by the Justice and Truth alliance (31.77 per cent), the PRM (13.63 per cent), and the UDMR (6.23 percent).

In the presidential election, the PSD candidate, Mr Nastase obtained a seven percentage point lead (40.94 per cent) over Mr. Basescu (33.92 per cent). The run-off was held on 12 December 2004 and Mr. Basescu was elected as President with 51.23 % of votes.

STATISTICS


Round no 1 (28 November 2004): Election results

Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes		10'136'460

Round no 1: Distribution of votes

Political Group

Candidates

Votes

% of votes

Social Democratic Party (PSD) - Humanist Party of Romania (PUR) Alliance

3'730'352

36.80

Justice and Truth Alliance (PNL-PD)

3'191'546

31.49

Party of Greater Romania

1'316'751

12.99

Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR)

628'125

6.20

Round no 1: Distribution of seats

Political Group

Total of seats

Social Democratic Party (PSD) - Humanist Party of Romania (PUR) Alliance

132

Justice and Truth Alliance (PNL-PD)

112

Party of Greater Romania

Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR)

Comments:

There are 18 members representing ethnic minorities.

Source: Romania Biroul Electoral Central; Website of Parliament: http://www.cdep.ro/pls/parlam/structura.de?leg=2004&cam=2&par=F&idl=2 (19.01.2005)

Mr. Muntean Florin Nicolae resigned 21 March 2005.

Distribution of seats according to sex:

Men:

294

Women:

Percent of women:

11.45

Distribution of seats according to age:

Distribution of seats according to profession:

PRESIDENCY OF THE PARLIAMENT

APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE

Title:

President of the Chamber of Deputies

Term:

- duration: 4 years (term of House)
- reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, removal, death, dissolution of the Chamber

Appointment:

- elected by all Members of the Chamber
- election is held at the beginning of the legislature
- after Members' mandates are validated

Eligibility:

- any Member of the Chamber may be a candidate; each parliamentary group proposes a candidate

Voting system:

- formal vote by secret ballot
- absolute majority is required in the first round, relative majority in the second round
- if no candidate obtains the required majority of votes in the first round, a second round is held and the candidate obtaining the relative majority of votes is elected
- if there is a succession of votes, no new candidate is admitted

Procedures / results:

- the oldest Member presides over the Chamber during the voting
- a committee including a representative from all the parliamentary groups supervises the voting
- the oldest Member announces the results without any delay
- the results cannot be challenged

STATUS

Status:

- ranks third in the hierarchy of State
- represents the Chamber with the public authorities
- represents the Chamber in international bodies
- may be called upon as acting Head of State, after the President of the Senate
- both Presidents preside the joined sittings at the Chambers by turns
- in the absence of the President, the Vice-Presidents can assume his/her role and functions by turns

Board:

- the standing Bureau consists of 13 Members: one Chairman, four Vice-Chairmen, four secretaries and four questors; it is presided by the President of the Chamber
- the term of the Members' mandate is one year, except that of the President
- meets twice a week at the convocation of the President or of at least 4 of its Members

Material facilities:

- monthly allowance
- official car
- secretariat
- a group of councillors
- body guards

FUNCTIONS

Organization of parliamentary business:

- convenes sessions
- organizes the debates and sets speaking time
- refers texts to a committee for study

Chairing of public sittings:

- can open, adjourn and close sittings
- ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders
- makes announcements concerning the Chamber
- takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures
- establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak
- checks the quorum
- authenticates the adopted texts and the records of debates

Special powers:

- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Chamber

Speaking and voting rights, other functions:

- takes the floor in legislative debates from the rostrum
- provides guidelines for the interpretation or completion of the text under discussion
- takes part in voting
- proposes bills or amendments
- intervenes in the parliamentary oversight procedure

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

PARLIAMENTARY MANDATE

Nature of the mandate:

Start of the mandate:

Validation of mandates:

End of the mandate:

Can MPs resign ?

Yes

Can MPs lose their mandate ?

Yes

STATUS OF PARLIAMENT MEMBERS

Rank in hierarchy:

Indemnities, facilities and services:

Obligation to declare personal assets:

Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary non-accountability:

Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary inviolability:

EXERCISE OF THE MANDATE

Training:

Participation in the work of the Parliament:

Discipline:

Code (rules) of conduct:

Relations between MPs and pressure group:

Also available: Archive of past election results for this chamber