Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Romania
local short form: Romania
local long form: none
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Bucharest
Administrative divisions:
41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality*
(municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud,
Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi,
Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati,
Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov,
Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare,
Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea
Independence:
9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from Turkey; independence
recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed
26 March 1881; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)
National holiday:
Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)
Constitution:
8 December 1991
Legal system:
former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is
now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 December 2000)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 26 November 2000, with runoff between the top two
candidates held 10 December 2000 (next to be held NA
November/December 2004); prime minister appointed by the president
head of government: Prime Minister Adrian NASTASE (since 29 December
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
election results: percent of vote - Ion ILIESCU 66.84%, Corneliu
Vadim TUDOR 33.16%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat
(140 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a
proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the
Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (345 seats; members are
elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation
basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held in
the fall of 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 26 November 2000
(next to be held in the fall of 2004)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDSR (now PSD)
37.1%, PRM 21.0%, PD 7.6%, PNL 7.5%, UDMR 6.9%; seats by party - PSD
65, PRM 36, PNL 13, UDMR 12, PD 9, independents 5; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - PDSR (now PSD) 36.6%, PRM
19.5%, PD 7.0%, PNL, 6.9%, UDMR 6.8%; seats by party - PSD 171, PRM
69, PD 29, PNL 27, UDMR 27, ethnic minorities 18, independents 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the president on
the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or PD [Traian BASESCU]; Democratic Union of
Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party
or PNL [Theodor STOLOJAN]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian
Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD
[Adrian NASTASE], formerly known as the Party of Social Democracy in
Romania or PDSR
Political pressure groups and leaders:
various human rights and professional associations
International organization participation:
ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH,
UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sorin Dumitru DUCARU
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851
chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael E. GUEST
embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State,
5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)
telephone: [40] (21) 210-4042
FAX: [40] (21) 210-0395
branch office(s): Cluj-Napoca
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red;
the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow
band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also
resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova