Background:
Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a
Communist "peoples republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king.
The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power
in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly
oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown
and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the
government until 1996, when they were swept from power by a
fractious coalition of centrist parties. Currently, the Social
Democratic Party forms a nominally minority government, which
governs with the support of the opposition Democratic Union of
Hungarians in Romania. Bucharest must address rampant corruption,
while invigorating lagging economic and democratic reforms, before
Romania can achieve its hope of joining the European Union.