Politics of Romania
Constitution Referendums 1991(adoption) 2003(amendments) Constitutional Court
Government President (list) Nicușor Dan Prime Minister (list) Ilie Bolojan Cabinet (current,list)
Parliament Senate President:Mircea Abrudean Standing Bureau Chamber of Deputies President:Sorin Grindeanu Standing Bureau
Judiciary High Court of Cassation and Justice Constitutional Court Ombudsman Judicial reform
Political parties Parliamentary Social Democratic Party(PSD) Alliance for the Union of Romanians(AUR) National Liberal Party(PNL) Save Romania Union(USR) S.O.S. Romania(SOS-RO) Party of Young People(POT) Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania(UDMR) Other ethnic-minority parties Non-parliamentary People's Movement Party(PMP) PRO Romania(PRO) Greater Romania Party(PRM) Ecologist Party of Romania(PER)
Elections Permanent Electoral Authority Recent elections Presidential:2019 2024 2025 Legislative:2020 2024 Next Local:2020 2024 Next European:2019 2024 Next
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Romania elects on a national level ahead of state – the president – and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term (after a change from four-year terms after the 2004 election). TheRomanian Parliament (Romanian:Parlamentul României) has twochambers. TheChamber of Deputies (Romanian:Camera Deputaţilor) currently has 331 members (after thelast legislative elections), elected for a four-year term byparty-list proportional representation onclosed lists. TheSenate (Romanian:Senatul) currently has 134 members (after the last legislative elections), elected for a four-year term byparty-list proportional representation onclosed lists.

Romania has amulti-party system, with numerousparties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to formcoalition governments.

On 25 November 2007, for the first time, Romanianselected their representatives to theEuropean Parliament.

On 6 December 2024, the Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of thepresidential election, after intelligence documents purporting to show Russian interference were declassified.^[1]

ThePresident is elected in a two-round system for a five-year term. Candidates obtaining a majority of 50%+1 of all registered voters in the first round are declared the winner. If none of the candidates achieve this, then arun-off is held between the two contenders with the top scores in the first round. The candidate who obtains any majority of votes in the run-off is declared the winner.

The term of the president is five years. Between 1992 and 2004 the term was of four years, but was increased following the2003 Constitutional referendum. One person can serve a maximum of two terms, that may be consecutive.

In order to be able to run for theOffice of President a candidate must fulfill the following conditions: be a Romanian citizen, be at least 35 years of age (at least on the day of the election), and not have held the office for two terms since1992, when the1991 Constitution took effect.^[2]

TheChamber of Deputies and theSenate are elected in constituencies, by universal, equal, direct, secret, and freely expressed suffrage, on the basis of a list system and independent candidatures, according to the principle ofclosed party listproportional representation. The option for an identical election system of the two Chambers ofParliament confers them the same legitimacy, as both of them are the expression of the will of the same electoral body.

The twoChambers have different numbers of members: the Chamber of Deputies is composed of 331 Deputies, and the Senate of 136 Senators. This differentiation is possible owing to the legal provision of a representation norm differing from one Chamber to the other and due to the seats allotted to the national minorities (a seat in the Chamber of Deputies for each minority) and to the Romanians living abroad (4 seats in the Chamber and 2 in the Senate). Thus, for the election of the Chamber of Deputies the representation norm is of one Deputy to 73,000 inhabitants,^[3] and for the election of the Senate, of one Senator to 168,000 inhabitants.^[3]

The number of Deputies and Senators to be elected in eachconstituency is determined on the basis of the representation norm, by relating the number of inhabitants in each constituency to the representation norm. There are 43 constituencies: 1 for eachcounty and the Municipality ofBucharest, and 1 for the Romanians living abroad.^[3] In a constituency, the number of Deputies cannot be less than four, and that of Senators, less than two. The number of inhabitants taken into account is that existing on 1 January of the previous year,^[3] published in theStatistical Yearbook of Romania. If, at least five months before the election date, ageneral census has taken place, the number of inhabitants taken into account is that resulting from the census.

Theelectoral threshold is for parties or candidates running individually 5% on national level or 20% in at least 4 constituencies, and 8-10% for coalitions or electoral alliances.^[3]

TheConstitution of Romania and the Election Law grant to legally constituted organizations of citizens belonging to national minorities, in case these could not obtain at the election at least one Deputy or Senator mandate, the right to a Deputy mandate, if they have obtained throughout the country a number of votes equal to at least 5% out of the average number of votes validly expressed throughout the country for the election of one Deputy.

The mandates assigned, under the conditions of the Election Law, to organizations of citizens belonging to national minorities are added to the Deputy mandates resulted from the representation norm.

To elect the 33MEPs (35 MEPs between 2007 and 2009, 32 between 2014 and 2019), Romania is considered a single constituency. The system used isclosed party listproportional representation, with a 5%threshold of the votes.

To elect the mayors thefirst past the post is used since 2012. The candidate who wins most of the votes is declared elected. A runoff is organised if the top two candidates have an equal number of votes.

For the office of Presidents of the County Councils, between2008 and2012, and again since2024, thefirst pass the post system was used. Until 2008 and again since2016,^[4] the County Council Presidents have been indirectly elected by each County Council.

To elect the Local, and County Councils, theclosed party listproportional representation, with a 5%threshold of the votes at the constituency level (city,commune orcounty).

Irrespective of the type of election, the vote is done by using paper and manual counting. The voter is required to prove his/hers identity using theIdentity card (or the previous version, theIdentity bulletin), or, for special reasons, the military ID or thepassport. After (s)he signs in the permanent, supplemental, or special electoral list, (s)he is handed a voting ballot (buletin de vot) and a stamp that readsVOTAT YYYY TTT (voted); YYYY stands for the year the election is held, and TTT for the type of elections to be held:L for local elections (including partial),P presidential elections,PE forEuropean Parliamentelection,R for referendums (R.V.U. was used in2007). For the general election, up to now, there was no additional type indicator, as it is granted most importance.

For the local and parliamentary elections, the voter can vote only at the polling station where (s)he has the permanent address (domiciliu), or the temporary residence (flotant) at least three months old. For the local election, theRomaniansoutside Romania cannot vote. For the parliamentary election they vote the candidates for the 43rd constituency. For theEuropean Parliament andpresidential elections the voters can vote at a different pooling station than the local and parliamentary elections, but only if (s)he is not in the home-town the voting day. Since the2016 legislative election the Romanian electors residing abroad will be able to cast theirvote via mail.^[5]

The voting ballot is printed on newspaper paper, monochrome. All the candidates (or the full candidate list) are listed in a lottery type established order (first the parliamentary parties, than the non-parliamentary parties, and at the end, the independent candidates), each in a clearly designated rectangular that consists of the full party/alliance name and logo, and the full candidate name (or full list of candidates' names). Voters express their choice by stamping the rectangle of the party or independent candidate (s)he wishes to vote for. For referendums the same voting procedure is used. Each of the two options (YES –DA and NO –NU) are in a 5×5 cm square, YES on top and NO at the bottom, and the question voted for in the middle of the voting ballot.

Freedom House in 2024 wrote that the legal framework "generally provides for fair and competitive elections".^[6] According to theBertelsmann Transformation Index in 2024, Romanian elections "are generally free and fair, with occasional evidence of fraud, unethical campaigning or voter manipulation, especially in poor rural areas."^[7]

Electoral irregularities andpolitical clientelism have been documented in multiple Romanian elections.^[8][9] According toPolitico in 2025, some local politicians have engaged invote buying or threats to cut off constituents' income in order to get votes, and while this is illegal, "authorities have often turned a blind eye".^[10] A notable conviction forelection fraud was that ofSocial Democratic Party ministerLiviu Dragnea in 2015.^[11]

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	PSD–PNL Alliance	4,341,686	48.55	19	–
	AUR Alliance	1,334,905	14.93	6	New
	United Right Alliance	778,901	8.71	3	–
	Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania	579,180	6.48	2	–
	S.O.S. Romania	450,040	5.03	2	New
	Renewing Romania's European Project	334,703	3.74	0	New
	United Diaspora Party	159,943	1.79	0	New
	Social Liberal Humanist Party	132,402	1.48	0	New
	Patriots Party	65,440	0.73	0	New
	Greater Romania Party	59,272	0.66	0	–
	The Right Alternative	40,281	0.45	0	New
	Socialist Romania Alliance (PSR–PSDM)	37,119	0.42	0	–
	Independents	628,754	7.03	1	–
Total		8,942,626	100.00	33	+1
Valid votes		8,942,626	94.82
Invalid/blank votes		488,551	5.18
Total votes		9,431,177	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		18,025,329	52.32
Source:BEC

The incumbent National Coalition for Romania (PSD and PNL) lost their majority in both chambers in the election, with far-right parties (AUR, SOS RO, and POT) making substantial gains at their expense.

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party	2,030,144	21.96	86	–24
	Alliance for the Union of Romanians	1,665,143	18.01	63	+30
	National Liberal Party	1,219,810	13.20	49	–44
	Save Romania Union	1,146,357	12.40	40	–15
	S.O.S. Romania	679,967	7.36	28	New
	Party of Young People	596,745	6.46	24	New
	Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania	585,397	6.33	22	+1
	Health Education Nature Sustainability Party	276,494	2.99	0	New
	Force of the Right[a]	189,678	2.05	0	New
	United Social Democratic Party	177,137	1.92	0	New
	Renewing Romania's European Project[b]	114,223	1.24	0	New
	Justice and Respect in Europe for All Party	107,474	1.16	0	New
	Romanian National Conservative Party	45,687	0.49	0	New
	Patriots of the Romanian People	40,960	0.44	0	0
	Romanian Ecologist Party	34,641	0.37	0	0
	Independent Social Democratic Party	33,372	0.36	0	0
	Romania in Action Party	28,504	0.31	0	New
	National Christian Alliance	25,789	0.28	0	0
	New Romania Party	14,107	0.15	0	0
	Party of the Roma "Pro Europa"	13,881	0.15	1	0
	Association of Macedonians of Romania	13,800	0.15	1	0
	Socialist Romania Alliance	12,849	0.14	0	0
	League of Albanians of Romania	9,177	0.10	1	0
	Union of the Ukrainians of Romania	8,750	0.09	1	0
	Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania	8,577	0.09	1	0
	Union of Serbs of Romania	7,962	0.09	1	0
	Alternative for National Dignity	7,747	0.08	0	0
	Hellenic Union of Romania	7,565	0.08	1	0
	Community of the Lipovan Russians in Romania	7,434	0.08	1	0
	Democratic Union of Slovaks and Czechs of Romania	7,420	0.08	1	0
	Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania	5,281	0.06	1	0
	Bulgarian Union of Banat–Romania	5,089	0.06	1	0
	Democratic Union of Turkic-Muslim Tatars of Romania	4,908	0.05	1	0
	Union of Armenians of Romania	4,747	0.05	1	0
	Cultural Union of Ruthenians of Romania	4,571	0.05	1	0
	Democratic Turkish Union of Romania	4,547	0.05	1	0
	Union of Croats of Romania	4,413	0.05	1	0
	Union of Poles of Romania "Dom Polski"	4,215	0.05	1	0
	Association of Italians of Romania	4,128	0.04	1	0
	National Action League Party	2,912	0.03	0	New
	Forum of Czechs in Romania	2,817	0.03	1	+1
	Party of Faithful People	1,143	0.01	0	0
	Geto-Dacian Union Party	435	0.00	0	0
	Patria Party	391	0.00	0	0
	Republican Party of Romania	279	0.00	0	0
	Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party	270	0.00	0	0
	Green Party	248	0.00	0	0
	United Pensioners' Party	229	0.00	0	0
	Party of Justice	184	0.00	0	0
	Independents	76,043	0.82	0	0
Total		9,243,641	100.00	331	+1
Valid votes		9,243,641	98.17
Invalid/blank votes		171,877	1.83
Total votes		9,415,518	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		19,503,273	48.28
Source:Permanent Electoral Authority Seat counts

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party	2,065,087	22.30	36	–11
	Alliance for the Union of Romanians	1,694,705	18.30	28	+14
	National Liberal Party	1,322,468	14.28	22	–19
	Save Romania Union	1,134,831	12.26	19	–6
	S.O.S. Romania	718,409	7.76	12	New
	Party of Young People	591,927	6.39	7	New
	Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania	590,783	6.38	10	+1
	Health Education Nature Sustainability Party	263,173	2.84	0	New
	Force of the Right[c]	173,703	1.88	0	New
	United Social Democratic Party	164,659	1.78	0	New
	Renewing Romania's European Project[d]	126,408	1.37	0	New
	Justice and Respect in Europe for All Party	114,500	1.24	0	New
	Romanian National Conservative Party	50,287	0.54	0	New
	Patriots of the Romanian People	48,436	0.52	0	0
	Independent Social Democratic Party	41,712	0.45	0	0
	Romanian Ecologist Party	38,561	0.42	0	0
	National Christian Alliance	31,094	0.34	0	0
	Romania in Action Party	30,252	0.33	0	New
	New Romania Party	17,203	0.19	0	0
	Socialist Romania Alliance	16,256	0.18	0	0
	Alternative for National Dignity	10,473	0.11	0	0
	National Action League Party	3,838	0.04	0	New
	Party of Faithful People	806	0.01	0	0
	Patria Party	493	0.01	0	0
	Geto-Dacian Union Party	480	0.01	0	0
	Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party	371	0.00	0	0
	Party of Justice	325	0.00	0	0
	Republican Party of Romania	314	0.00	0	0
	Green Party	290	0.00	0	0
	Phralipe Party of the Roma	287	0.00	0	0
	Independents	7,826	0.08	0	0
Total		9,259,957	100.00	134	0
Valid votes		9,259,957	98.41
Invalid/blank votes		149,557	1.59
Total votes		9,409,514	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		19,503,273	48.25
Source:Permanent Electoral Authority Seat counts

Political party/alliance						County-level					U.A.T.-level
						County Council Presidents		County Council Councilors			Mayors		Local Council Councilors
		PSD				25 / 41	5	550 / 1,338	188		1,691 / 3,180		16,499 / 39,900	2679
		PNL				12 / 41	5	436 / 1,338	53		1,144 / 3,180		12,767 / 39,900	1415
		UDMR / RMDSZ				4 / 41		104 / 1,338	12		200 / 3,180		2,524 / 39,900	164
		AUR				0 / 41		159 / 1,338	159		30 / 3,180		3,526 / 39,900	3447
		ADU		USR		0 / 41		46 / 1,338	62		28 / 3,180		832 / 39,900	375
				PMP		0 / 41		17 / 1,338	48		6 / 3,180		238 / 39,900	1899
				FD		0 / 41	New	17 / 1,338	New		10 / 3,180	New	254 / 39,900	New
		FDGR / DFDR				0 / 41		5 / 1,338			5 / 3,180		52 / 39,900	16
		PUSL				0 / 41		2 / 1,338	2		6 / 3,180		225 / 39,900	59
		AMT / EMSZ				0 / 41		2 / 1,338	5		4 / 3,180		172 / 39,900	134
		REPER				0 / 41	New	0 / 1,338	New		2 / 3,180	New	54 / 39,900	New
		AER		PER		0 / 41		0 / 1,338	5		1 / 3,180		79 / 39,900	295
				PV		0 / 41		0 / 1,338			0 / 3,180		38 / 39,900	79
		Romania in Action				0 / 41		0 / 1,338	2		1 / 3,180	1	48 / 39,900	21
		UIPS				0 / 41		0 / 1,338			1 / 3,180		TBD
		PPR				0 / 41	New	0 / 1,338	New		1 / 3,180	New	TBD	New
		BSR				0 / 41	New	0 / 1,338	New		1 / 3,180	New	TBD	New
		UUR				0 / 41		0 / 1,338			1 / 3,180		TBD
		UDSCR				0 / 41		0 / 1,338			1 / 3,180		TBD
		PRPE				0 / 41		0 / 1,338			1 / 3,180	1	TBD
		FCM / MPE				0 / 41	New	0 / 1,338	New		1 / 3,180	New	TBD	New
		SOS RO				0 / 41	New	0 / 1,338	New		0 / 3,180	New	149 / 39,900	New
		PRO				0 / 41		0 / 1,338	56		0 / 3,176	36	111 / 39,900	1774
		PRM				0 / 41		0 / 1,338			0 / 3,180		22 / 39,900	9
		POL				0 / 41		0 / 1,338	2		0 / 3,180		5 / 39,900	30
		AD				0 / 41		0 / 1,338			0 / 3,180		4 / 39,900	9
		Curaj				0 / 41	New	0 / 1,338	New		0 / 3,180	New	3 / 39,900	New
		Demos				0 / 41	New	0 / 1,338	New		0 / 3,180	New	1 / 39,900	New
		Independents				0 / 41		0 / 1,338			43 / 3,180		0 / 39,900

TheConstitution of Romania defines that a referendum has to be called to:^[14]

• suspend the President from office (article 95), or
• amend the Constitution (article 151)

Moreover, the Constitution defines that a referendum can be called on matters of national interest by thePresident of Romania after consultation with Parliament (article 90).

There were 8 referendums (and 1 local one) in post-communist Romania:

• 2 constitutional referendums: in1991 and2003
• 2 presidential impeachment referendums: inMay 2007 and in2012
• voting system referendum in November 2007
• parliamentary reform referendum in 2009
• referendum regarding the definition of family andanother one only in theOlt County to rename it to "Olt-Romanați County" in 2018 at the same time
• referendum about justice and corruption in 2019

There was also 1 referendum in theSocialist Republic of Romania, 3 referendums in theKingdom of Romania and 2 referendums in theRomanian United Principalities.

• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system

• Official site of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania

• Report on 30 November 2008 election results
• Adam Carr's Election Archive
• Parties and elections
• Report on new Uninominal System

• Elections in Romania

• CS1 Romanian-language sources (ro)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from December 2020
• Articles containing Romanian-language text