President of the Senate of Romania

The president of the Senate of Romania is the senator elected to preside over the Senate meetings. The president of the Senate is also the president of the Standing Bureau of the Senate, and the first person in the presidential line of succession.

President of the Senate of Romania
Coat of arms of the Senate
Incumbent Nicolae Ciucă (PNL) since 13 June 2023
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	Nifon Rusailă (1864) Alexandru Bârlădeanu (1990)
Formation	1864 1990
Succession	First

Election

The president of the Senate is elected by secret ballot with the majority of votes from the senators. If none of the candidates obtains the necessary votes, the first two compete again, and the one with most of the votes wins.

Role

• Calls the Senate in session (ordinary or extraordinary);
• Presides the Senate meetings, assisted by two secretaries;
• Represents the Senate in the relation with the President, the Chamber of Deputies, the Government, Constitutional Court
• Represents the Senate in the foreign relations;
• Succeeds (ad interim) the president if the latter resigns, is suspended, incapacitated or dies in office. (They continue to be president of the Senate during the ad-interim presidency of the country. They act as president until a new president is elected.)

History

1864–1866

Between 3 July 1864 and 1 June 1866 the Upper House of the Legislative was called Corpul Ponderator. Members were nominated by the domnitor, based on the proposals of the counties.

1866–1946

The upper house was called Senat or Camera Senatului. Most of the Senators were elected, some were senators by right (senatori de drept), as established by the 1866 Constitution. Voters and members had to be at least 40 years of age, except the heir to the throne, that was senator at 18 years, and allowed to vote in the Senate at 21.

1946–1989

In 1946 elections were called only for the Assembly of Deputies (Adunarea Deputaţilor), as the 1923 Constitution was re-empowered with some modifications. After the overthrow of the king and the establishment of the communist republic, the upper house was dissolved and disbanded.

1990–present

The upper house is called Senat and is headed by a president.

List of officeholders

Ad interim (acting) officeholders are denoted by italics. The Rule of the Senate states that at the first standing of the house, the meeting is headed by the eldest senator and helped by the youngest senator. Those bear the title of Interim President of the Senate, and, as their term is very short (one or two days), they are not listed. The interim officeholders listed have hold the office in different circumstances and for a longer time (i.e. than one or two days).

They were actually Vice Presidents standing as caretaker President during a vacancy. The caretaker Vice Presidents during the two impeachments of Traian Băsescu in April–May 2007 (Doru Ioan Tărăcilă [ro]) and in June–July 2012 (Petru Filip) are also listed in the table below.

The political stance of presidents of the upper house prior to the development of a modern party system is given by the following key/legend:

C (Conservative)	MC (Moderate Conservative)
RL (Radical Liberal)	ML (Moderate Liberal)

The political stance of presidents of the upper house after the development of a modern party system is given by the following key/legend:

PNL = National Liberal Party (historical)/(contemporary)	PC = Conservative Party
PNR = Romanian National Party	PP = People's Party
PCD = Conservative-Democratic Party	PNȚ = National Peasants' Party
PND = Democratic Nationalist Party	PNC = National Christian Party
FRN = National Renaissance Front (from 1940 PN; Party of the Nation)	FP = Ploughmen's Front
PMR = Romanian Workers' Party (from 1965 PCR; Romanian Communist Party)	FSN = National Salvation Front
PDSR = Party of Social Democracy in Romania (from 2001 PSD; Social Democratic Party)	PNȚCD = Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party
PSDR = Romanian Social Democratic Party	PDL = Democratic Liberal Party (until 2008 PD; Democratic Party)
USR PLUS/USR = Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party/Save Romania Union
Mil. = Military	Ind. = Independent

#	Name	Portrait	Birth–Death	Took office	Left office	Party
Corpul Ponderator 1864–1866
1	Metropolitan-primate Nifon Rusailă		1789–1875	6 December 1864	1 June 1866	Ind.
Senate 1866–1947
(1)	Metropolitan-primate Nifon Rusailă		1789–1875	1 June 1866	6 June 1868	Ind.
2	Ştefan Golescu		1809–1874	6 September 1868	15 November 1868	RL
3	Nicolae Golescu		1810–1877	18 November 1868	9 July 1869	RL
4	Alexandru Plagino		1821–1894	2 September 1869	4 March 1871	MC
(1)	Metropolitan-primate Nifon Rusailă		1789–1875	4 March 1871	5 May 1875	Ind.
5	Metropolitan-primate Calinic Miclescu		1822–1886	9 June 1875	25 March 1879	Ind.
6	Constantin Bosianu		1815–1882	29 May 1879	15 November 1879	PNL
7	Dimitrie Ghica		1816–1897	17 November 1879	8 September 1888	PNL
8	Ion Emanoil Florescu		1819–1893	4 November 1888	7 December 1889	PC
9	Nicolae Creţulescu		1812–1900	13 December 1889	9 June 1890	PC
(8)	Ion Emanoil Florescu		1819–1893	17 November 1890	21 February 1891	PC
10	Constantin Boerescu		1836–1908	1 March 1891	11 December 1891	PC
11	Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino		1833–1913	25 February 1892	24 October 1895	PC
12	Dimitrie Ghica		1816–1897	9 December 1895	15 February 1897	PNL
13	Dimitrie Alexandru Sturdza		1833–1914	20 February 1897	31 March 1897	PNL
14	Eugeniu Stătescu		1836–1905	31 March 1897	18 November 1897	PNL
15	Nicolae Gane		1838–1916	18 November 1897	21 April 1899	PNL
(10)	Constantin Boerescu		1836–1908	13 June 1899	14 February 1901	PC
(14)	Eugeniu Stătescu		1836–1905	24 March 1901	15 November 1902	PNL
16	Petre S. Aurelian		1833–1909	16 November 1902	23 December 1904	PNL
(10)	Constantin Boerescu		1836–1908	25 February 1905	26 April 1907	PC
(16)	Petre S. Aurelian		1833–1909	9 June 1907	24 January 1909	PNL
17	Constantin Budișteanu		1838–1911	28 January 1909	10 January 1911	PNL
(11)	Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino		1833–1913	10 March 1911	23 March 1913	PC
18	Theodor Rosetti		1837–1932	27 March 1913	3 July 1913	PC
19	Ioan Lahovary		1844–1915	3 July 1913	11 January 1914	PC
20	Basile M. Missir		1843–1929	21 February 1914	9 December 1916	PNL
21	Emanoil Porumbaru		1845–1921	9 December 1916	25 April 1918	PNL
22	Dimitrie Dobrescu		1852–1934	4 June 1918	5 November 1918	PCP
23	Paul Bujor		1862–1952	28 November 1919	26 March 1920	PȚ
24	Constantin Coandă		1857–1932	22 June 1920	22 January 1922	PP
25	Mihail Pherekyde		1842–1926	31 March 1922	24 January 1926	PNL
26	Constantin I. Nicolaescu		1861–1945	3 February 1926	27 March 1926	PNL
(24)	Constantin Coandă		1857–1932	18 July 1926	5 June 1927	PP
27	Constantin I. Nicolaescu		1861–1945	18 July 1927	10 November 1928	PNL
28	Traian Bratu		1875–1940	23 December 1928	30 April 1931	PNȚ
29	Mihail Sadoveanu		1880–1961	18 June 1931	10 June 1932	Ind.
30	Neculai Costăchescu		1876–1939	4 August 1932	18 November 1933	PNȚ
31	Leonte Moldovan		1865–1943	10 February 1934	15 November 1935	PNL
32	Constantin Dimitriu-Dovlecel		1872–1945	15 November 1935	15 November 1936	PNL
33	Alexandru Lapedatu		1876–1950	16 November 1936	20 March 1937	PNL
34	Nicolae Iorga		1871–1940	9 June 1939	13 June 1939	Ind.
35	Constantin Argetoianu		1871–1955	15 June 1939	5 September 1940	FNR/PN
Senate since 1990
36	Alexandru Bârlădeanu		1911–1997	18 June 1990	16 October 1992	FSN
37	Oliviu Gherman		1930–2020	22 October 1992	22 November 1996	FDSN/PDSR
38	Petre Roman		1946–	27 November 1996	22 December 1999	PD
39	Mircea Ionescu-Quintus		1917–2017	4 February 2000	30 November 2000	PNL
40	Nicolae Văcăroiu		1943–	15 December 2000	30 November 2004	PDSR/PSD
				19 December 2004	14 October 2008	PSD
—	Doru Ioan Tărăcilă (acting)		1951–	14 October 2008	28 October 2008	PSD
41	Ilie Sârbu		1950–	28 October 2008	13 December 2008	PSD
42	Mircea Geoană		1958–	19 December 2008	23 November 2011	PSD
—	Petru Filip (acting)		1955–	23 November 2011	28 November 2011	PDL
43	Vasile Blaga		1956–	28 November 2011	3 July 2012	PDL
44	Crin Antonescu		1959–	3 July 2012	19 December 2012	PNL
				19 December 2012	4 March 2014
—	Cristian Dumitrescu (acting)		1955–	5 March 2014	10 March 2014	PSD
45	Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu		1952–	10 March 2014	21 December 2016	Ind./PLR/ALDE
				21 December 2016	2 September 2019	ALDE
—	Șerban Valeca (acting)		1956–2022	2 September 2019	10 September 2019	PSD
46	Teodor Meleșcanu		1941–	10 September 2019	3 February 2020	Ind. with PSD support
—	Titus Corlățean (acting)		1968–	3 February 2020	9 April 2020	PSD
—	Robert Cazanciuc (acting)		1971–	9 April 2020	21 December 2020	PSD
47	Anca Dragu		1972–	21 December 2020	23 November 2021	USR PLUS/USR
48	Florin Cîțu		1972–	23 November 2021	29 June 2022	PNL
—	Alina Gorghiu (acting)		1978–	29 June 2022	13 June 2023	PNL
49	Nicolae Ciucă		1967–	13 June 2023	Incumbent	PNL