2004–2008 legislature of the Romanian Parliament

In Romania's 2004 general election, held on 28 November, no party won an outright majority. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) won the largest number of seats but was in opposition because the Justice and Truth Alliance (DA), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), the Romanian Humanist Party (PUR; which later became the Conservative Party), and the National Minorities formed a governing coalition. The Conservative Party (PC) withdrew in December 2006, meaning that the government lost the majority.[1] In April 2007, the liberal Prime Minister, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, dismissed the Democratic Party (PD) ministers from the government and formed a minority government with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), thereby marking the end of the Justice and Truth Alliance (DA).[2][3]

Parliament of Romania
LII legislature
2000–2004 2008–2012
Overview
Term20 December 2004 (2004-12-20) – December 2008 (2008-12)
GovernmentNational Liberal Party

Democratic Party (2004–2007)
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania
Romanian Humanist Party (2004–2005)

Conservative Party (2005–2007)
OppositionSocial Democratic Party

Greater Romania Party
Conservative Party (2007–2008)

Democratic Liberal Party (2007–2008)
Senate
Political structure of the Senate
Members135
President of the SenateNicolae Văcăroiu (20 December 2004–14 October 2008) Social Democratic Party
Ilie Sârbu (14 October 2008–December 2008) Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic PartyIon Iliescu
National Liberal PartyPuiu Hașotti
Democratic Liberal PartyPetru Nicolae Ioțcu [ro]
Constantin Gheorghe [ro]
Greater Romania PartyGheorghe Funar
Mihai Ungheanu [ro]
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in RomaniaAttila Verestóy
Chamber of Deputies
Political structure of the Chamber of Deputies
Members325
President of the Chamber of DeputiesAdrian Năstase (20 December 2008–20 March 2006) Social Democratic Party
Bogdan Olteanu (20 March 2006–15 November 2008) National Liberal Party
Social Democratic PartyMiron Mitrea
Viorel Hrebenciuc
Democratic Liberal PartyCozmin Gușă
Cristian Rădulescu [ro]
National Liberal PartyCălin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Eugen Nicolăescu
Crin Antonescu
Greater Romania PartyLucian Bolcaș [ro]
Ion Mînzînă [ro]
Petre Popeangă
Ioan Aurel Rus [ro]
Octavian-Mircea Purceld [ro]
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in RomaniaAtilla Kelemen
Árpád Márton [ro]
Government
Tăriceanu II Cabinet
(minority)
Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu (5 April 2007–22 December 2008)
Tăriceanu I Cabinet
(coalition)
Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu (29 December 2004–5 April 2007)
Sessions
1stDecember 2004 – December 2004
2ndMarch 2005 – July 2005
3rdSeptember 2005 – December 2005
4thMarch 2006 – July 2006
5thSeptember 2006 – December 2006
6thMarch 2007 – December 2008

Senate edit

The President of the Senate for this legislature was Nicolae Văcăroiu, who was elected on 20 December 2004. Following his ad interim presidency of Romania, he delegated his attributions to the vicepresident Doru Ioan Tărăcilă [ro]. After Văcăroiu was sworn in as president of the Court of Accounts (Romanian: Curtea de Conturi), Ilie Sârbu was elected as the new President of the Senate.

The table below gives the state of play before the 2008 election; parties in bold were part of the governing coalition at the end of this legislature.

Party % of seats Seats
Social Democratic Party 31.4 43
National Liberal Party 16 22
Democratic Party 15.4 21
Greater Romania Party 13.1 18
Conservative Party 8.0 11
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania 7.3 10
Independents 8.8 12
Total 100 137

Chamber of Deputies edit

During the 2004–2008 legislature, the president of the Chamber of Deputies was Bogdan Olteanu from the National Liberal Party (PNL), who was elected on 20 March 2006, after the Chamber's former president, Adrian Năstase, was forced by his own party (the Social Democratic Party, PSD) to step down amidst corruption allegations.[citation needed]

After the 2004 elections, several deputies from the Social Democratic Party switched to other parties (including the governing Justice and Truth Alliance, DA) or became independents, with the total number of Social Democratic Party seats being reduced from 113 to 105. The number of Justice and Truth Alliance (DA) deputies also increased from 112 to 118, making it the largest formation in parliament as of October 2006. This changed again in December 2006, leaving the Social Democratic Party with 107 seats and the Justice and Truth Alliance (DA) with 101. Since April 2007 the Justice and Truth Alliance (DA) has split leaving the two former members with 51 respectively 50 members. Deputies elected to the European Parliament in the 2007 election resigned, thus reducing the number of deputies to 314 as of 4 December 2007.[citation needed]

A new election was held in 2008. The table below gives the state of play before the 2008 election; parties in bold were part of the governing coalition at the end of this legislature. That coalition was tacitly supported by the PSD.[4]

Party % of seats Seats
Social Democratic Party 32.31 105
Democratic Liberal Party 20.62 67
National Liberal Party 18.15 59
Greater Romania Party 6.77 22
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania 6.77 22
Conservative Party 5.85 19
National minorities 5.54 18
Independents 4.00 13
Total 100 325

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Gafencu, Laura (4 December 2006). "Guvern minoritar" [Minority government]. Evenimentul Zilei (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Romania's prime minister names new Cabinet of minority government". International Herald Tribune. The Associated Press. 2 April 2007. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  3. ^ Mutler, Alison (2 April 2007). "Romania's prime minister names new Cabinet of minority government". Taiwan News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Romanian election neck-and-neck". BBC News. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2021.