General elections were held in Romania on 20 May 1990 to elect the President and members of Parliament.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1591 They were the first elections held after the overthrow of the communist regime six months earlier and the first free elections held in the country since 1937.Romanians Hope Free Elections Mark Revolution's Next Stage. Chicago Tribune. 30 March 1990. It was also the first time the president had been directly elected, the position having been previously elected by the legislature since it was introduced in 1974.Romania: Central Government Library of Congress Country Studies
The National Salvation Front (FSN), which had headed the interim government that took power after the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu, won a decisive victory. Opposition parties performed well below expectations; none of them had the time or resources to present themselves as alternatives to the FSN. Interim President and FSN leader Ion Iliescu was elected for a full term with 85 percent of the vote. The FSN also won large majorities in both houses of Parliament, with 263 of the 395 seats in the Assembly of Deputies and 91 of the 118 seats in the Senate.
The United States State Department expressed concerns about organised violence and polling irregularities, but concluded that they had had no effect on the outcome and pronounced the elections free and fair.
To date, this is the only time since direct presidential elections were introduced in which a president was elected in a single round. Iliescu's 85 percent vote share also remains the highest for a direct presidential election.
Presidential candidates
Name Lifespan Public Administration Experience Affiliation and endorsements Alma mater and profession Candidacy Ion IliescuBorn: (age )Oltenița, Călărași CountyDied , BucharestActing President of Romania: 1989–election dayPresident of Water Surfaces Management Council (1979–1984)Member of the State Council (full member: 1979–1980, observative: 1974–1979)President of Iași County Council (1974–1979)Vice-president of Timiș County Council (1971–1974)Minister of Youth (1967–1971)Deputy (1957–1961, 1965–1973, 1975–1985)Affiliation: FSNEnergy Institute, Moscow State University (1954)fluid mechanics engineer,publishing house managerOfficial: BEC filing: Radu CâmpeanuBorn: (age ) BucharestDied , BucharestAffiliation: PNLEndorsed by UDMR and PERFaculty of Law, University of Bucharest (1945)Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Bucharest (1947)economistBEC filing: Ion RațiuBorn: (age ) Turda, Cluj CountyDied: , LondonChancellor at Romanian Embassy in UK (1940)Affiliation: PNȚCDEndorsed by: PSDRFaculty of Law, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (1938)Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge (1943)lawyer, economist, journalistOfficial: BEC filing:
Results President
Parliament Senate
Assembly of Deputies
References