Since what year has the presidency instituted in Romania? Who is Nicolae Ceausescu? And who is the president of Romania today? You will find answers to all these questions in our article.
State structure of modern Romania
Romania is the largest state on the Balkan Peninsula. Its total area is 238 thousand square meters. km This is an industrial country with a dynamically developing economy. The name comes from the Latin word romanus - "Roman".
As a state, Romania arose in the middle of the 19th century as a result of the unification of two principalities - Wallachian and Moldavian. In 1878, its independence was recognized by the European and world community. Until 1947, Romania remained a monarchical state. During this time, five kings succeeded each other here. Carol I ruled the country the longest - from 1881 to 1914.
Modern Romania is a presidential unitary republic. The President of Romania is elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of four years and has a fairly wide list of powers. The country's parliament consists of two chambers and totals (in total) 588 deputies.
President of Romania and his powers
Officially, this post in Romania was established only in 1974. According to the Romanian constitution, the president is the guarantor of the national independence and territorial integrity of his country. He is also vested with the following powers:
- Appoints the government (based on a vote of confidence from parliament).
- Offers the candidacy of the Prime Minister.
- He is directly involved in government meetings.
- Calls and holds referenda.
- Concludes agreements with international partners.
- He leads the armed forces of the country.
- Carries out pardons (individually).
- Has the right to dissolve parliament, to impose martial law or a state of emergency.
Below is a complete list of all the presidents of Romania in chronological order:
- Nicolae Ceausescu - from 1974 to 1989
- Ion Iliescu - from 1989 to 1996.
- Emil Konstantinescu - from 1996 to 2000
- Ion Iliescu (second term) - from 2000 to 2004.
- Traian Basescu (parliament twice impeached him, but each time the president returned to his duties) - from 2004 to 2014.
- Klaus Johannes - since 2014.
Who is Ceausescu?
Nicolae Ceausescu is the first president of Romania, one of the most striking and controversial personalities of this country. At the helm of the socialist republic, he was more than twenty years.
In the early years of his reign, Ceausescu pursued a policy of openness towards the countries of Western Europe and maintained a certain neutrality in relations with the Soviet Union. He set a clear goal - to transform Romania from an agrarian into an industrialized and self-sufficient country. In the republic, the oil refining and chemical industries and the automotive industry began to actively develop.
In 1971, N. Ceausescu visited a number of Asian countries, in particular, China, Vietnam and the DPRK, was fond of Juche ideas and admired the personality cult of comrade Kim Il Sung. After this trip, the relatively liberal domestic policy in Romania gradually turns towards strict censorship and dictatorship.
The authoritarian regime of Ceausescu was overthrown in 1989. The so-called Romanian revolution started on December 16 in the city of Timisoara with the unrest of the Hungarians. Soon, large-scale rallies and protests swept the capital of the republic. The Romanian army took the side of the revolutionaries, who, together with the people, fought against the Ceausescu Securitate units. Ultimately, the President of Romania, Ceausescu, was captured and executed on December 25 according to the verdict of a military tribunal (together with his wife). The result of the revolution was the disappearance of the Socialist Republic of Romania and the course towards democratization of the country.
