Politics of Romania

Romania's political framework is a semi-presidential representative republic where the Prime Minister is the head of government, while the President, according to the Constitution, holds a more symbolic role, being responsible for the foreign policy, signing certain decrees, approving laws promulgated by the parliament, and nominating the head of government (i.e. Prime Minister). Romania has a multi-party system, with legislative power vested in the government and the two chambers of the Parliament, more specifically the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature in theory. From 1948 until 1989, the communist rule political structure took place in the framework of a one-party socialist republic governed by the Romanian Communist Party (PCR) as its only legal party.

Romania's 1991 constitution (amended in 2003) proclaims it a democratic and social republic, deriving its sovereignty from the people. According to the constitution, "Human dignity, civic rights and freedoms, the unhindered development of human personality, justice, and political pluralism are supreme and guaranteed values."

The constitution provides for a president, a Parliament, a Constitutional Court, and a separate court system which includes the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The right to vote is granted to all citizens over 18 years of age.

The V-Dem Democracy Report 2025 classified Romania as an electoral democracy, while noting autocratization tendencies, citing Russian meddling in the election process leading to the annulment of the first round of the 2024 presidential election and a decrease in opposition parties’ autonomy.

Romania was fully admitted to the Schengen Area on 1 January 2025.

Executive branch

The president is elected by popular vote for a maximum of two five-year terms (four-year terms until 2004). The president is head of state (charged with safeguarding the constitution, foreign affairs, and the proper functioning of public authority), supreme commander of the armed forces, and chairperson of the Supreme Council of National Defense. According to the constitution, the president acts as a mediator among the state's power centers and between the state and society. The president nominates the prime minister after consultation with the party holding an absolute majority in Parliament or, if there is no such majority, with all the parties in Parliament.

Ambiguity in the Constitution of Romania (Article 85 (1), Article 103 (1)) may lead to situations where a coalition of parties obtaining an absolute majority in Parliament, or a party holding a relative majority in Parliament, would be unable to nominate a prime minister because the president would refuse the nomination (with no party holding an absolute majority in Parliament). According to Article 103 (1), "unless no such majority exists", is interpreted by the president as "unless no such party exists" (although an absolute majority may be formed by one party, a coalition of parties, or an alliance).

In the 2008 parliamentary elections, the Alliance PSD+PC won 33.1% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 34.2% of the seats in the Senate. The PNL won 18.6% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 18.7% of the seats in the Senate, giving both parties a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. However, the president nominated a member of the PDL (which won less than 32.4% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 33.5% of the seats in the Senate. The nominated prime minister chooses the other members of the government, and the government and its program must be confirmed by a vote of confidence from Parliament.

Legislative branch

The national legislature is a bicameral parliament (), consisting of the Chamber of Deputies () and the Senate (). Members are elected to four-year terms by universal suffrage in a party-list proportional representation electoral system. Beginning in 2008, members are elected by mixed-member proportional representation.

The number of senators and deputies has varied in each legislature, reflecting population changes. In 2008, there were 137 senatorial seats and 334 seats in the Chamber of Deputies; of the 334 deputy seats, 18 were held by ethnic minority representatives which would not meet the five-percent electoral threshold required for other parties and organizations.

Classification of political parties

Romania has a multiparty political system, which makes a majority government virtually impossible (unless a very high score is achieved in the legislative election by one particular political party). Smaller parliamentary parties have sometimes merged with larger ones during previous legislatures before 2020 (or created/were part of several electoral alliances). Currently, there are five main parliamentary parties (excluding the 18 ethnic-minority parties which have one representative each) as follows:

Logo Party nameIdeologyLeader(s)Notes Social Democratic Party ()Social democratic, centre-left populist, de facto catch allSorin GrindeanuCurrently the largest party in parliament. He currently leads a government formed with PNL and UDMR (government composition that was between 2021 and 2023). He achieved his worst results in recent elections. Alliance for the Union of Romanians (Romanian: Alianța pentru Unirea Românilor)Romanian nationalism, Romanian irredentism, Euroscepticism, right-wing populism, national conservatismGeorge SimionCurrently the second largest opposition party in parliament. In the legislative elections, AUR won 20% of the vote in all of Romania and the diaspora, which resulted in aresult that made the party the second largest in the country at the central political level. National Liberal Party ()Conservative liberal, centre-right populist, de facto catch allIlie BolojanUntil November 2021, the largest ruling party through a coalition government previously established in December 2020, but subsequently formed a minority government solely with the UDMR/RMDSZ after early September 2021 until late November of the same year (even after it was dismissed by a recorded-voted no confidence motion). It is currently part of a grand coalition government known as the National Coalition for Romania (CNR for short) along with PSD, being the second largest party within it. Additionally, it has also been crushed by internal disputes, growing corruption scandals, and departures of various MPs and local politicians, some of which had already founded several splinter parties (e.g. most notably Ludovic Orban's Force of the Right or FD for short). Save Romania Union ()Liberalism, Progressivism, Social liberalism, Economic liberalism, Pro-EuropeanismDominic FritzCurrently, the third largest parliamentary party (previously established as a formal political and electoral alliance between the USR and PLUS known as the 2020 USR PLUS Alliance and then simply as USR-PLUS/USR PLUS) and in opposition towards the PSD-PNL-UDMR/RMDSZ grand coalition government (as well as to the current PSD-PNL government). Syncretic political position (mostly with considerable focus towards anti-corruption and the rule of law). Recently has clarified its political position (center-right) with strong emphasis on economic liberalism, anti-corruption policies. Also recently, the party has taken slightly populist positions. S.O.S. Romania (Romanian: S.O.S. România)Romanian ultranationalism, Romanian irredentism, hard euroscepticism, social conservatismDiana ȘoșoacăFounded in 2021 and becoming popular after the entry of Diana Șoșoacă, the party managed to send 2 MEPs after the 2024 European Parliament election. In the parliamentary election it obtained a significant representation, becoming the fifth largest party in the parliament, and the second nationalist party after AUR. The party's rhetoric is ultra-nationalist, nationalist-revolutionary, and hardly Eurosceptic. Party of Young People (Romanian: Partidul Oamenilor Tineri)Right-wing populism, Romanian nationalism, christian rightAnamaria GavrilăFounded in 2023 by Anamaria Gavrilă, former AUR deputy, the party promotes traditionalist and national-christian ideologies, opposing abortion and compulsory vaccination. POT supported the candidacy of Călin Georgescu in the presidential election of 2024 and obtained parliamentary representation following the elections of December 1, 2024. The party is currently in opposition. Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania ()Centre-right, Hungarian minority interests, Hungarian ethnic minority partyHunor KelemenPreviously, the smallest ruling party in the centre-right coalition formed in December 2020 (which was later disbanded in September 2021). It was also part of the CNR ruling grand coalition along with PNL and PSD, being still the smallest party (or junior partner) in the aforementioned government. Since June 2023, it switched to opposition after not voting the Ciolacu Cabinet.

The main four non-parliamentary parties (the first two around the five-percent threshold) with local representatives are as follows:

Logo Party nameRomanian nameIdeologyLeader Health Education Nature Sustainability PartyPartidul Sănătate, Educație, Natură, Sustenabilitate (SENS)Centre-left Green politicsProgressivismAndrei Macsut Force of the RightForța Dreptei (FD)Centre-right Liberal conservatismLudovic Orban People's Movement PartyPartidul Mișcarea Populară (PMP)Centre-right Christian democracyEugen TomacUnited Social Democratic PartyPartidul Social Democrat Unit (PSDU)Centre-left Social democracyChristian leftOana Crețu

Unlike other former Soviet-bloc countries (such as, most notably, neighbouring Republic of Moldova), no political party claiming to be the successor of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR) has been or is currently a significant player on the political scene, although the main continuator of FSN, more specifically PSD, has many times raised suspicions and accusations from electoral contenders regarding the past political careers of many of its current and former members who were first tier, high-ranking members of the PCR before the 1989 Romanian Revolution. The PNL also has many former Securitate members, former PCR members, or their relatives, in part through the merger with the PDL in 2014 but not only.

Latest elections

Presidential election

The last presidential election took place on May 4 and May 18, 2025, respectively. Following the events that occurred during the first round of voting and the finding of foreign interference in the November 2024 presidential elections, the Constitutional Court annulled the elections, so they were repeated in May 2025.

European Parliament election

Legislative election

The latest legislative election was held on 1 December 2024. The two tables below are represented the results for both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies:

Chamber of Deputies

Senate

Local election

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

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Politics of Romania

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