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Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Romania on 8 December 2024. [1] [2]
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All 330 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 166 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All 136 seats in the Senate 69 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Romania on 8 December 2024. [1] [2]
Following the previous legislative elections held in December 2020, the Cîțu Cabinet was appointed, backed by a centre-right coalition of three Romanian political parliamentary parties as follows: the conservative liberal National Liberal Party (PNL), the progressive liberal/neoliberal USR PLUS (which subsequently switched back to the old USR acronym in late 2021), and the Hungarian minority-oriented Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ). [3]
The Cîțu Cabinet fell in November 2021 after a record-voted motion of no confidence (the most signed one in the political history of post-1989 Romania). Shortly afterwards, the Ciucă Cabinet, backed by the National Coalition for Romania (CNR) comprising the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), was appointed and it lasted until June 2023. On the 15 June 2023, the Ciolacu Cabinet was invested by vote in the Parliament. The governmental coalition was also reduced to two main parties, after the recent withdrawal of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), a political organization representing the Hungarian minority in Romania, which subsequently voted against the incumbent Ciolacu Cabinet.
In Romania, the President also plays an active role in national politics, in spite of the constitutional prerogatives which hold that he should act as an arbiter and/or mediator instead, also not being affiliated with any political party during his term(s), formally/officially or in any other regards as well. Following the December 2019 presidential election, Klaus Iohannis, a former president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), was re-elected for another five years, being supported by the PNL and the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGDR/DFDR). Nonetheless, he is not eligible for a third consecutive term in 2024 or any longer in the future for that matter.
Both parliamentary and presidential terms will end in late 2024. Hence, both election types could be held on the same days, which would be the first time for such an electoral concatenation in Romania since the 2004 general election. [4] Nonetheless, as of late, this proposal seems very unlikely, as it has to be approved in the parliament and so far there has not been any consensus reached upon this matter between the main governing political parties.
On 18 December 2019, the head of the AEP stated that internet voting would be implemented for the 2024 electoral year. [5]
The Cîțu cabinet, which took office on 23 December 2020, [6] comprised two conservative liberal parties, namely the PNL and the UDMR/RMDSZ as well as the progressive liberal USR PLUS (which, after its latest congress held in early October 2021, returned to its initial official denomination, more specifically USR). [7]
In September 2021, a major rift within the coalition led to the onset of the 2021 Romanian political crisis. Prime Minister Cîțu, with the unconditional support of President Klaus Iohannis, sacked Justice minister Stelian Ion. [8] [9] All the other USR ministers withdrew from government by 7 September 2021, [10] which left the Cîțu cabinet in minority (with the limited support of PNL and UDMR/RMDSZ). Subsequently, two motions of no-confidence were filed, one by USR PLUS and the extremist-populist AUR and the second by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) with the three parties holding together a majority of seats needed for the dismissal of Prime Minister Cîțu and his minority cabinet. [11]
Furthermore, Florin Cîțu was contested within the PNL but, in counterpart, received full support of President Iohannis, as he also sought to obtain the PNL leadership from previous PNL president Ludovic Orban. On 25 September 2021, Cîțu defeated Orban in the leadership vote of the PNL Congress. [12] USR PLUS also held a leadership vote where Dacian Cioloș was elected new party president with 50.9% of the votes over Dan Barna, and the party's name switched to USR again. [13] [14] In addition, the party line was still to remove Cîțu as Prime Minister. [15]
On 4 October 2021, Cîțu stated that any collaboration with USR was now impossible. [16] According to the incumbent USR Mayor of Brașov, Allen Coliban, Cîțu's minority government held thanks for its limited existence only to the PSD. [17] Nevertheless, on 5 October 2021, the PSD motion of no-confidence was put to a vote, and won a large majority of 281, corresponding to PSD, USR, and AUR. Cîțu continued to serve as acting Prime Minister until the next government, more specifically the Ciucă Cabinet representing the so-called National Coalition for Romania (CNR), was sworn in on 25 November 2021. [18]
In July 2021, the nationalist [19] Romanian Village Party (RoSAT), led by Marian Vișu-Iliescu, was launched, claiming to represent the interests of peasants, ignored by the major parties. [20]
On 19 September 2021, former PSD president Liviu Dragnea, along with former ally Codrin Ștefănescu, launched the Alliance for the Homeland (Romanian : Alianța pentru Patrie, ApP), a split-off from PSD and "an alternative" to it according to both. [21]
On 3 October 2021, former PNL Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, who had just been defeated for the leadership of the PNL by Florin Cîțu at the 2021 PNL party congress, stated that he is willing "to create a new political construction which would be ready to continue PNL's legacy". [22] [23] In this regard, at that time it was thought that he could be following Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, another former national liberal Prime Minister who subsequently left the PNL in order to establish his own political party, more specifically the Liberal Reformist Party (PLR), subsequently known as the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) after its merger with the Conservative Party (PC), a now defunct political party which was eventually absorbed by the PNL during late March 2022. [24]
In addition, before further concrete steps on behalf of Orban, various commentators stated that Orban's faction could part ways with the main PNL should he not be designated PM after Cîțu's dismissal by the Parliament (which also occurred in the meantime). Subsequently, after PNL started negotiations with the PSD, more and more MPs resigned from the PNL and joined Orban's faction in the Parliament. Orban's new party was officially registered in December 2021 and is called "Force of the Right" (or FD for short). [25]
In November 2021, a new party called NOW (Romanian : ACUM) was formed. It has a progressive and green ideology. [26]
Additionally, in November 2021 the S.O.S. Romania party was founded by Maricel Viziteu, Adeluța and Gabriel Gib. However, it became later known on the Romanian political scene in May 2022, after senator Diana Iovanovici Șoșoacă, elected on the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) list, joined the party, and eventually became its leader. [27]
Former PSD president and Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă has, in the meantime, become president of the Nation People Together (NOI) party. [28]
After the March 2022 congress of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, Dan Grăjdeanu, the president of the Orthodox Brotherhood NGO, announced that his NGO will end the collaboration with AUR and launch its own political party. On 17 April 2022, a party affiliated with the Brotherhood was created: the National Movement. It is led by Mihai Tîrnoveanu. [29] [30] [31]
Former independent/technocratic Prime Minister and PLUS/USR PLUS/USR member (as well as former USR president) Dacian Cioloș officially quit the USR on 31 May 2022 to form a brand new party called REPER. [32] Several MEPs (more specifically 4) who have been previously elected on the lists of the 2020 USR PLUS Alliance at the 2019 European Parliament election in Romania have sided with Dacian Cioloș for his newly established political project, but still remain affiliated with the Renew group in the European Parliament. REPER can thus be considered (and is, in actuality) a splinter of USR.
On 10 July 2022, ex-AUR deputy Mihai Lasca launched his own political party, called Patriots of the Romanian People. [33] The party was labelled as Eurosceptic, Romanian nationalist and anti-LGBT. [34]
The Green Party (PV) was also relaunched [35] under the new name of the Green Party (The Greens) - (Romanian : Partidul Verde - Verzii)). The party is currently led by two co-presidents, more specifically Marius Lazăr and Lavinia Cosma (former USR member between 2016 and 2019). The party first appeared in the polls in the beginning of 2023. [36]
In late September 2023, PNL vice-president and deputy Ben Oni Ardelean resigned from the party and announced that he is initiating a new political project. [37] Consequently, he recently launched an allegedly conservative political party called Hope's Movement (Romanian : Mișcarea Speranței) for the disillusioned electorate in Romania. [38]
Civil society activists announced at the end of November the launch of the Party for Nature, People and Animals (Romanian: Partidul pentru Natură, Oameni și Animale - NOA). The party is temporarily led by Lucian Rad, former county councilor in Brașov. [39]
In May 2022, the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚCD) announced that it will prepare a new political alliance with the Alliance for the Homeland (ApP, formerly known under the acronym PAINE) [40] for the forthcoming Romanian parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in late 2024. The two parties will allegedly form a so-called "sovereignist" block which will oppose the National Coalition for Romania (CNR). [41] In late August 2022 however, Liviu Dragnea, strongly associated in the past with the party at an unofficial level, had decided to indefinitely distance himself from the ApP. [42]
In June 2023, incumbent USR leader Cătălin Drulă stated that the Save Romania Union (USR) wants to form a right-wing pole able to win the 2024 elections. [43] The alleged right-wing pole is envisaged to form around the USR and become the winner of all the elections scheduled in 2024 in Romania, according to the incumbent USR leader. In these regards, discussions have already been carried out between USR and the People's Movement Party (PMP). [44] The right-wing alliance proposed by the USR is presented as an alternative to the current ruling CNR coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL). The respective right-wing or centre-right alliance/electoral block might also include the Force of the Right (FD). It was later on reported in October 2023 by a USR member that the Force of the Right (FD) will be included in the respective alliance/electoral block at national level as well as the fact that he does not exclude punctual future collaborations on several political measures with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ). [45]
On 4 July 2023, the Socialist Romania Alliance (ARS), formed by the Romanian Socialist Party (PSR) and the Social Democratic Workers' Party (PMSD) was registered. [46]
On 23 September 2023, various extra-parliamentary far-right, ultra-nationalist and traditionalist conservative groups announced the creation of the Nationalist Bloc, led by Bogdan Mihai Alecu. [47] [48] [49] [50]
On 14 November 2023, at an AUR press conference, Lidia Vadim Tudor (the daughter of the late Corneliu Vadim Tudor), former Minister for Business Environment Ilan Laufer (who is also the president of the National Identity Force), businessman Muhammad Murad, entrepreneur Sorin Constantinescu and Sorin Ilieșiu, as well as deputies Florică Calotă (who was elected on PNL list), Daniel Forea (elected on PSD list), Dumitru Viorel Focșa (elected on AUR, but later left) and senators Ovidiu Iosif Florean (elected on PNL list), Călin Gheorghe Matieș (elected on PSD list) and Vasilică Potecă (elected on PNL list) announced that they are joining AUR for the next election. [51] Later, on 21 November, AUR announced, together with the Romanian Village Party, National Rebirth Alliance, Romanian Republican Party and National Peasants' Alliance the creation of a Sovereigntist Alliance to contest at the 2024 Romanian parliamentary election. [52] [53]
On 25 November 2023, several extra-parliamentary political parties announced the creation of the Romanian Sovereigntist Bloc, which includes: Right Republican Party, Romanian Nationhood Party, Coalition for the Nation, Reformist Party, Homeland Party, Christian Social Popular Union Party. [54] [55]
On 9 December 2023, leaders of Green Party (Verzii) and Ecologist Party of Romania (PER) announced a new political alliance on political scene for 2024 European Parliament elections, AER for Romania Alliance . [56]
On 14 December 2023, Save Romania Union, Force of the Right and the People's Movement Party officially announced the creation of a right-wing electoral alliance to contest in the 2024 elections. [57] On 18 December, the alliance was formally named as United Right Alliance. [58]
On 14 March 2024, the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party formed an alliance with the Strong Romania Party. [59]
| Name | Ideology | Leader(s) | Parliamentary representation (initial seating [lower-alpha 4] and current number of seats) | Cîțu Government (2020–2021) | Ciucă Government (2021–2023) | Ciolacu Government (2023–) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Chamber of Deputies | ||||||||||
| Votes | Seats | Votes | Seats | ||||||||
| PSD | Social Democratic Party ( Romanian: Partidul Social Democrat) | Social democracy | Marcel Ciolacu | 29.3% | 47 / 136 49 / 136 | 28.9% | 110 / 330 103 / 330 | Opposition | Coalition ( CNR ) | Coalition ( CNR ) | |
| PNL | National Liberal Party ( Romanian: Partidul Național Liberal) | Social conservatism | Nicolae Ciucă | 25.5% | 41 / 136 37 / 136 | 25.1% | 93 / 330 79 / 330 | Coalition | Coalition ( CNR ) | Coalition ( CNR ) | |
| USR | Save Romania Union (Romanian: Uniunea Salvați România) | Liberalism | Cătălin Drulă | 16.0% | 25 / 136 20 / 136 | 15.3% | 55 / 330 41 / 330 | Coalition | Opposition | ||
| AUR | Alliance for the Union of Romanians ( Romanian: Alianța pentru Unirea Românilor) | Romanian nationalism | George Simion | 9.1% | 14 / 136 12 / 136 | 9.0% | 33 / 330 26 / 330 | Opposition | |||
| UDMR RMDSZ | Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania ( Romanian: Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România; Hungarian: Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség) | Hungarian minority interests | Hunor Kelemen | 5.8% | 9 / 136 9 / 136 | 5.7% | 21 / 330 20 / 330 | Coalition | Coalition ( CNR ) | Opposition | |
| FD | Force of the Right ( Romanian: Forța Dreptei) | Christian democracy | Ludovic Orban | Didn't exist | 3 / 136 | Didn't exist | 16 / 330 | — | Opposition | ||
| REPER | Renewing Romania's European Project ( Romanian: Reînnoim Proiectul European al României) | Liberalism | Dragoș Pîslaru and Ramona Strugariu | Didn't exist | 2 / 136 | Didn't exist | 10 / 330 | — | Opposition | ||
| PUSL | Social Liberal Humanist Party ( Romanian: Partidul Umanist Social Liberal) | Social liberalism | Daniel Ionașcu | 1.1% | 0 / 136 1 / 136 | 1.0% | 0 / 330 4 / 330 | — | Confidence and supply agreement (parliamentary support for the CNR ) | ||
| NR | Romanian Nationhood Party ( Romanian: Partidul Neamului Românesc) | Ultranationalism | Ninel Peia | Split from AUR | 1 / 136 | Split from AUR | 4 / 330 | Opposition | |||
| Ind. | Independents or others | — | — | — | 0 / 136 1 / 136 | 0.85% [lower-alpha 5] 7.57% [lower-alpha 6] | 18 / 330 25 / 330 | — | |||
| Vac. | Vacant seats | — | — | — | 0 / 136 1 / 136 | 0.85% [lower-alpha 7] 0.00% [lower-alpha 8] | 0 / 330 0 / 330 | — | |||
The 330 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected by several methods: 308 are elected from 42 multi-member constituencies based on counties and Bucharest, using proportional representation, four are elected using proportional representation from a constituency representing Romanians living abroad. Parties must pass a threshold of 5% of the national vote or at least 20% of the vote in four constituencies. Further seats (currently 18) can be added for ethnic minority groups that compete in the elections and pass a special (lower) threshold (calculated as 10% of the votes needed to obtain one of the regular 312 seats). [60] [ failed verification ]
The 136 members of the Senate are also elected using party-list proportional representation, but from 43 constituencies based on the 41 counties (a total of 121 seats), Bucharest (13 seats), and one for Romanians living abroad (two seats). [60]
The graphic below details the current overall voting intention of the Romanian electorate for the forthcoming 2024 Romanian parliamentary elections, with aggregate data correct as of mid June 2023:
The National Liberal Party is a social-conservative political party in Romania. Re-founded in mid January 1990, shortly after the Revolution of 1989 which culminated in the fall of communism in Romania, it claims the legacy of the major political party of the same name, active between 1875 and 1947 in the Kingdom of Romania. Based on this historical legacy, it often presents itself as the first formally constituted political party in the country and the oldest of its kind from the family of European liberal parties as well.
The People's Movement Party is a minor extra-parliamentary national-conservative and social conservative political party in Romania.
The Save Romania Union is a centre to centre-right political party in Romania. It is currently the third largest party in the Parliament of Romania with 41 deputies and 20 senators, and a fifth at local level nationwide, after the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) and the People's Movement Party (PMP), two smaller centre-right political parties in the country.
Parliamentary elections were held in Romania on 6 December 2020 to elect the 136 members of the Senate and the 330 constituent members of the Chamber of Deputies.
The Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity was a pro-European, liberal political party established on 26 October 2018, whose president was Dacian Cioloș, former Prime Minister of Romania from 2015 until 2017, elected on 26 January 2019. The party had its origin in the Movement Romania Together (MRÎ), a project which they gave up due to the setting up delay in court. The party merged in 2021 with the Save Romania Union (USR) with which it has been in a political alliance called 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance from 2019 to 2021, then formally activating as a sole, unified party known as USR PLUS.
The 2024 European Parliament election in Romanian was held on 9 June 2024. This was the fifth European Parliament election to be held in Romania since the country's accession to the European Union in 2007 and the first since Brexit.
USR PLUS was a Romanian progressive, liberal, and centrist political alliance active between 2019 and 2021. Established on 2 February 2019 solely as an electoral alliance between the political parties Save Romania Union (USR) and the Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS) it was initially called 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance. The alliance was formed to participate together in the May 2019 European Parliament election in Romania.
The Alliance for the Union of Romanians is a right-wing populist and nationalist political party currently active in Romania and Moldova. It was founded on 19 September 2019 ahead of the 2020 Romanian local and legislative elections. The party president is George Simion.
Nicolae Ionel Ciucă is a Romanian politician and retired general of the Romanian Land Forces who is serving as the president of the Senate of Romania. Ideologically a conservative, he served as Prime Minister of Romania between 25 November 2021 and 12 June 2023 after receiving widespread parliamentary support on behalf of his own party, the National Liberal Party (PNL) along with the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ). Since 10 April 2022, he has also been serving as the president of the National Liberal Party (PNL). On 12 June 2023, he resigned as Prime Minister, being temporarily replaced by Cătălin Predoiu.
The Cîțu Cabinet was the 131st government of Romania, led by the national liberal (PNL) Prime Minister Florin Cîțu. It was removed from office after a motion of no confidence passed by the Parliament with a record of 281 votes, the largest number of votes on a motion of no confidence since the Romanian Revolution.
Presidential elections will be held in Romania on 15 September 2024, with a possible second round to be held on 29 September if no candidate receives over 50% of the vote. They will be the ninth presidential elections held in post-1989 Romania. As the Romanian Constitution allows a maximum of two presidential terms, incumbent President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, first elected in 2014 and then re-elected in 2019, is not eligible for re-election. His second term will formally end in December 2024.
A political crisis began on 1 September 2021 in Romania, engulfing both major coalition partners of the Cîțu Cabinet, namely the conservative-liberal National Liberal Party (PNL) and the progressive-liberal Save Romania Union (USR). The crisis also involved former prime minister Ludovic Orban (PNL), who was set to face Prime Minister Florin Cîțu (PNL) in a leadership election during the party congress on 25 September, with the latter eventually replacing the former. Orban would eventually resign from his position as President of the Chamber of Deputies, with him and his supporters subsequently splitting from the PNL, in order to form the Force of the Right (FD).
The Alliance for the Homeland was a nationalist political party in Romania.
Force of the Right, sometimes translated as Right's Force or Right Force, is a liberal-conservative political party in Romania founded in December 2021 by Ludovic Orban, former National Liberal Party (PNL) president and former Prime Minister of Romania between 2019 and 2020, in opposition to the current leadership of the PNL which is currently officially led by Nicolae Ciucă and unofficially by Klaus Iohannis.
The Ciucă Cabinet was the 132nd government of Romania led by former Romanian Land Forces army general Nicolae Ciucă from 25 November 2021 to 12 June 2023.
The National Coalition for Romania, initially referred to as the Coalition for Resilience, Development and Prosperity, is a big tent grand coalition in Romania, which includes the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL). In addition, this grand coalition supports the presidency of Klaus Iohannis. The CNR also included the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) until its withdrawal from the coalition in June 2023.
The 2020–2024 legislature of the Romanian Parliament is the current legislature of the Parliament of Romania, elected on 6 December 2020. In the said election, no party won an outright majority, but the Social Democratic Party (PSD) remained the largest political force in the parliament, in opposition however. The National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR), and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) formed a coalition government. The USR ran within a political alliance it established with a smaller party, more specifically the Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS), which was eventually absorbed by the former. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) entered parliament starting this legislature with an unexpected high score, gaining more popularity ever since.
Renewing Romania's European Project is a political party in Romania. It is a splinter of the Save Romania Union (USR) and is currently led by Dragoș Pîslaru and Ramona Strugariu as co-presidents. The party was founded in May 2022, in opposition to USR's current leadership under Cătălin Drulă. The party is mostly associated with former technocratic Prime Minister and former USR president Dacian Cioloș, who founded the party. On 7 May 2023, Pîslaru and Strugariu were voted co-presidents at the latest congress of the party.
The Romanian Village Party is a Christian-democratic and agrarian political party in Romania, founded and headed by Marian Vișu-Iliescu.
United Right Alliance is a centre-right electoral alliance that was formed to compete in the 2024 Romanian parliamentary election. It opposes the incumbent National Coalition for Romania (CNR) government.
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