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This is a list of presidents of Romania by time in office. This is based on the difference between dates; if counted by number of calendar days all the time periods would be one day greater.
The political party column in the table below denotes the political party or political alliance that sustained/supported their candidacy, as the president is legally forbidden by the Romanian constitution to be a member of any party while still in office. The first exception was Nicolae Ceaușescu, who was president under a different constitution, and who consequently was both a member of the PCR and president of Romania at the same time. The second exception is Nicușor Dan, who was the only president who did not officially belong to any political party at the time of his inauguration.
Both Nicolae Ceaușescu and Ion Iliescu won presidential elections three times, but Iliescu's last two terms were non-consecutive, and Ceaușescu was never popularly elected (being elected by the Great National Assembly). Emil Constantinescu was the only president to hold the office for a single term, and did not seek re-election. Traian Băsescu was the only president to date to be suspended/impeached twice (once in each of his two mandates, more specifically in 2007 and 2012). Also, Klaus Iohannis was the only president who resigned from his post (2025).
If the president's term ends prematurely within five years, they are replaced by the President of the Senate, who serves as acting president until the inauguration of a new popularly elected candidate. Since the Romanian revolution of December 1989 this has happened three times; with Nicolae Văcăroiu (2007), Crin Antonescu (2012) and Ilie Bolojan (2025) filling the office temporarily.
| Nº in office | President | Political party | Time in office | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nicolae Ceaușescu | PCR | 15 years, 276 days | 1 | |
| 2nd | Ion Iliescu | FSN/FDSN/PDSR/PSD | 10 years, 343 days 1 | 2 | |
| 5th | Klaus Iohannis | PNL | 10 years, 53 days 2 | 3 | |
| 4th | Traian Băsescu | D.A. (PD/PDL) | 10 years, 0 days 3 | 4 | |
| 3rd | Emil Constantinescu | CDR (PNȚCD) | 4 years, 33 days | 5 | |
| – | Ilie Bolojan (ad interim/acting) | PNL | 103 days | – | |
| 6th | Nicușor Dan | Independent | 78 days | 6 | |
| – | Crin Antonescu (ad interim/acting) | PNL | 48 days | – | |
| – | Nicolae Văcăroiu (ad interim/acting) | PSD | 33 days | – | |
Notes:
1His first 176 days between 1989 and 1990 was served as acting president;
2Although he was ineligible for re-election after serving two 5 year terms, the Constitutional Court, citing an emergency situation, allowed him to stay in office until the inauguration of a successor;
3Suspended/impeached from office for 33 days in 2007, then for a second time in 2012 for 48 days.