) is the

upper house An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

in the

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

Parliament of Romania The Parliament of Romania ( ro, Parlamentul României) is the national bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies ( ro, Camera Deputaților) and the Senate ( ro, Senat). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament i ...

. It has 136 seats (before the

2016 Romanian legislative election Legislative elections were held in Romania on 11 December 2016. They were the first held under a new electoral system adopted in 2015, which saw a return to the proportional electoral system last used in the 2004 elections. The new electoral legi ...

the total number of elected representatives was 176), to which members are elected by direct popular vote using

party-list proportional representation Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a subset of proportional representation electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected (e.g., elections to parliament) through their position on an electoral list. They can also be us ...

in 43 electoral districts (the 41 counties, the city of Bucharest plus 1 constituency for the Romanians living abroad), to serve four-year terms.

History

First Senate (1859–1944)

The parliamentary history of Romania is seen as beginning in May 1831 in

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...

, where a constitution called

Regulamentul Organic ''Regulamentul Organic'' (, Organic Regulation; french: Règlement Organique; russian: Органический регламент, Organichesky reglament)The name also has plural versions in all languages concerned, referring to the dual na ...

("Organic Statute") was promulgated by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and adopted. In January 1832 it came into force in

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

also. This laid the foundations for the parliamentary institution in the two Romanian principalities. At the Congress of Paris of 1856, Russia gave up to Moldavia the left bank of the mouth of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

, including part of

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

, and also gave up its claim to be the protector of Christians in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Moldavia and Wallachia, while remaining under the

suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

of the Ottomans, were recognized as quasi-independent self-governing principalities under the protection of the other European Powers. The Paris Convention of 19 August 1858 promulgated ''Statutul Dezvoltător'' ("Expanding Statute"), to introduce a

parliament, with an upper house named in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

''Corpul Ponderator'' ("Moderating Body"). This was later renamed the ''Senat''. A formal Union of the two principalities came in 1859. On the initiative of

Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Januar ...

, a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in 1864 enlarged the principle of national representation. The 1866 Constitution of Romania proclaimed

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

as Romania's form of government, on the basis of national sovereignty and the

separation of powers Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typic ...

. Legislative power was to be exercised by the new Prince (

Carol I of Romania Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

) and a

bi-cameral parliament Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

, with an Assembly of Deputies and a Senate. On 9 May 1877, the Declaration of Romania's independence was read under the dome of the Romanian Parliament. The 1923 Constitution, approved by both houses of parliament in May 1923, again entrusted legislative power to the Senate, the Assembly of Deputies, and the King. The constitution instituted the membership by right (''senator de drept'') in the Senate for: * The heir to the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monar ...

; *

Metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

s and diocesan bishops of the Orthodox and Greek-Catholic churches; * Heads of state-recognised religious bodies; * The president of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...

; * Former presidents of the Council of Ministers; * Former ministers with at least six years' seniority; * Former presidents of either legislative chamber who held this function for at least eight ordinary sessions; * Former senators and deputies elected to at least ten legislatures, irrespective of their duration; * Former presidents of the

High Court of Cassation and Justice The High Court of Cassation and Justice ( ro, Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție) is Romania's supreme court, and the court of last resort. It is the equivalent of France's Cour de Cassation and serves a similar function to other courts of ...

; * Reserve and retired generals; * Former presidents of the National Assemblies at

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ), also known as Kishinev (russian: Кишинёв, r=Kishinjóv ), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the ...

Cernăuți Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the up ...

, and

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historical ...

, which previously proclaimed their respective provinces' union with Romania in 1918 (''see

Union of Transylvania with Romania The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a national holiday in Romani ...

Union of Bessarabia with Romania The union of Bessarabia with Romania was proclaimed on by Sfatul Țării, the legislative body of the Moldavian Democratic Republic. This state had the same borders of the region of Bessarabia, which was annexed by the Russian Empire following t ...

''). Additionally, the Senate included an elective element, chosen by

corporatist Corporatism is a collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, on the basis of their common interests. The ...

electoral colleges, including the chambers of commerce, industry, and agriculture, as well as university professors. In February 1938, amid the political crisis which soon led to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

King Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I of Roman ...

imposed a more authoritarian monarchy. Under the Constitution of 1938, Parliament lost some of its main powers. The Senate was to be composed of members appointed by the King, members by right, and members elected in single-member electoral areas, in the same manner as Assembly members. The proportion of appointed and elected members was to be equal, while senators by right still had to meet the conditions set out in the 1923 Constitution.

Suspension and abolition (1940–1944)

In September 1940, after the abdication of King Carol, the

National Legionary State The National Legionary State was a Totalitarianism, totalitarian Fascism, fascist regime which governed Kingdom of Romania, Romania for five months, from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941. The regime was led by ...

suspended the parliament but itself lasted less than five months. It was succeeded by

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and ''Conducător'' during most of World War II. A Romanian Army career officer who made ...

's military dictatorship and the parliament remained suspended. After the

royal coup Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

of 23 August 1944, on 15 July 1946 the government controlled by the

Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ro, Partidul Comunist Român, , PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that woul ...

(PCR) issued an electoral law that re-organized the parliament as a single legislative body, called the Assembly of Deputies, thus disestablishing the Senate. Under the 1948 constitution this became the

Great National Assembly Great National Assembly or Grand National Assembly may refer to: * Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia, an assembly of Romanian delegates that declared the unification of Transylvania and Romania * Great National Assembly (Socialist Republic of R ...

, a relatively impotent body subordinate to the power of the

(PCR).

Senate recreated (1990)

The

Romanian Revolution of 1989 The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...

opened the way to restoring pluralistic

electoral democracy Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

. Under the country's new post-communist

Constitution of 1991 The Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991 ( es, Constitución Política de Colombia de 1991), is the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia. It was promulgated in Constitutional Gazette number 114 on Thursday, July 4, 1991, and is also ...

, approved by a national referendum in 1991, Romania returned to a bicameral parliamentary system, in which the Senate is an elected body. A

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

on modifying the size and structure of the Parliament from the current bicameral one with 137 senators and 334 deputies to a unicameral one with a maximum of 300 seats was held on 22 November 2009, at the same time as the first round of the 2009 presidential election. The electors approved by a percentage of 77.78% (50.95% turnout) the adoption of a unicameral Parliament, however as of the necessary constitutional changes to achieve this have not been put into effect.

Former locations

The first Romanian Senate functioned between 1864 and 1869 in a small building, which still exists today on the Calea Șerban Vodă. Once the new building of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...

was inaugurated, the Senate moved in a bigger hall in that building. Between 1929 and 1940, it was temporarily housed in a building on the Regina Elisabeta Boulevard, while a new Palace of the Senate was to be built in today's Națiunile Unite Square. This building was never finished. After the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...

of 1989, the Senate was housed in the "Palace of the Senate" ( ro, Palatul Senatului), located in Revolution Square. That U-shaped structure was built from 1938 to 1941 under engineer 's coordination, following the plans of architect Emil Nădejde. It housed the Council of Ministers and from 1958 to 1989 it was the headquarters of the Central Committee of the

(PCR). During the Revolution, Romanian President

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He was ...

and his wife

Elena Elena may refer to: People * Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician * Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet Geography * Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...

fled by helicopter from the roof of the building. In 2005 the senators moved into the

Palace of the Parliament The Palace of the Parliament ( ro, Palatul Parlamentului), also known as the Republic's House () or People's House/People's Palace (), is the seat of the Parliament of Romania, located atop Dealul Spirii in Bucharest, the national capital. The P ...

, joining their colleagues from the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

. "Palatul Senatului" now houses the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

Composition

2020–2024

, - ! style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 rowspan=2 , Party ! style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Election seating ! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2 , Lost ! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2 , Won ! style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Present seating , - ! style="text-align:center;" , Seats ! style="text-align:center;" , % ! style="text-align:center;" , Seats ! style="text-align:center;" , % , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 47 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 34.55% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 46 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 33.82% , - , , style="text-align:left;" , National Liberal Party , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 41 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 30.14% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 4 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 2 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 39 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 28.67% , - , ! style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,

Save Romania Union The Save Romania Union ( ro, Uniunea Salvați România, USR) is a liberal political party active in Romania and Moldova, currently the third largest party in the Parliament with 43 deputies and 22 senators, and fifth at national level (following ...

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 25 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 18.38% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 3 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 22 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 16.17% , - , ! style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,

Alliance for the Union of Romanians The Alliance for the Union of Romanians ( ro, Alianța pentru Unirea Românilor, AUR) is a right-wing populist and nationalist political party currently active in Romania and Moldova. It was founded on 19 September 2019. This was done with the ...

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 14 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 10.29% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 2 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 12 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 8.82% , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR; hu, Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség, RMDSZ; ro, Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România, UDMR) is a political party in Romania which aims to represent the significant Hungarian m ...

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 9 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 6.61% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 9 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 6.61% , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

Force of the Right Force of the Right ( ro, Forța Dreptei, FD), sometimes translated as Right's Force or Right Force, is a liberal-conservative political party in Romania founded in December 2021 by Ludovic Orban, former National Liberal Party (PNL) president and ...

Social Liberal Humanist Party The Social Liberal Humanist Party ( ro, Partidul Umanist Social Liberal, PUSL), formerly Humanist Power Party (Social-Liberal) ( ro, Partidul Puterii Umaniste (social-liberal), PPU-SL) is a centrist to centre-left political party in Romania. It ...

Romanian Nationhood Party The Romanian Nationhood Party ( ro, Partidul Neamul Românesc, NR or PNR) is a far-right, Romanian nationalist political party. It was founded by Ninel Peia, a former member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The party is critical of Hung ...

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0.73% , - , , style="text-align:left;" , Independents , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 4 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 4 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 2 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1.47% , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

Vacant Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is th ...

2016–2020

, - ! style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 rowspan=2 , Party ! style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Election seating ! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2 , Lost ! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2 , Won ! style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , End seating , - ! style="text-align:center;" , Seats ! style="text-align:center;" , % ! style="text-align:center;" , Seats ! style="text-align:center;" , % , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 67 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 49.26% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 10 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 2 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 59 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 43.38% , - , , style="text-align:left;" , National Liberal Party , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 30 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 22.05% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 4 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 26 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 19.11% , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 13 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 9.55% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 13 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 9.55% , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 9 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 6.61% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 9 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 6.61% , - , , style="text-align:left;" , Alliance of Liberals and Democrats , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 9 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 6.61% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 5 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 3 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 7 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 5.14% , - , , style="text-align:left;" ,

People's Movement Party The People's Movement Party ( ro, Partidul Mișcarea Populară, PMP) is a minor extra-parliamentary nominally centre-right Christian democratic, national-conservative political party in Romania. History The PMP was created as a political founda ...

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 8 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 5.88% , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 4 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 5 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 3.67% , - , ! style="background-color: " , , style="text-align:left;" ,

Humanist Power Party The Social Liberal Humanist Party ( ro, Partidul Umanist Social Liberal, PUSL), formerly Humanist Power Party (Social-Liberal) ( ro, Partidul Puterii Umaniste (social-liberal), PPU-SL) is a centrist to centre-left political party in Romania. It ...

, style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 2 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 2 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1.47% , - , , style="text-align:left;" , Independents , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , — , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 15 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 15 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 11.02% , - ! align=left colspan=2, Total ! 136 ! 100 ! colspan=2 , — ! 136 ! 100

2012–2016

2008–2012

In December 2008, the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and the

political alliance A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies. International terms Equivalent terms are used differ ...

established between the

(PSD) and

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

(PC) formed a coalition government.

2004–2008

In the

2004 Romanian general election General elections were held in Romania on 28 November 2004, with a second round of the presidential elections on 12 December between Prime Minister Adrian Năstase of the ruling Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSD) and Bucharest Mayor Traian B� ...

, held on 28 November 2004, the

Justice and Truth Alliance The Justice and Truth Alliance (originally in ro, Alianţa Dreptate şi Adevăr; or D.A. for short, meaning "yes" in Romanian) was a political alliance comprising two political parties in Romania, namely the centre-right liberal National Libera ...

(DA) won the greatest number of seats, even though no party won an outright majority. The President of the Senate for this legislature was

Nicolae Văcăroiu Nicolae Văcăroiu (; born on 5 December 1943 in Cetatea Albă, now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Ukraine) is a Romanian politician, member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who served as Prime Minister between 1992 and 1996. Before the 198 ...

, who was elected on 20 December 2004. Following his ''ad interim'' presidency of Romania, he delegated his attributions to the vice president

Doru Ioan Tărăcilă Doru may refer to: * Doru (name) * ''Doru'' (genus), a genus of earwigs * Doru Shahabad, a town in Anantnag District, Jammu and Kashmir, India * Dory (spear) The ''dory'' or ''doru '' (; el, δόρυ) is a spear that was the chief spear of h ...

. After Văcăroiu was sworn in as president of the Court of Accounts, Ilie Sârbu was elected as the new

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...

. Until April 2007, the Justice and Truth Alliance governed in coalition with other minor parties. In April 2007, after the break-up of the Justice and Truth Alliance, the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians (UDMR/RMDSZ) formed a minority government coalition (highlighted in bold in the table below).

2000–2004

Elections to the Senate were held on 26 November 2000, in which the

(then abbreviated PDSR) won an overall majority. Then

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 of Romania, Standing Bureau of the Senate, and the first per ...

was former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

(between 1992 and 1996)

, who was elected in December 2000. The allocation of seats was as follows:

1996–2000

1992–1996

1990–1992

Presidents of the Senate (1990–present)

Last election of the President of Senate:

November 2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

The Standing Bureau of the Senate consists of the

, four vice-presidents, four secretaries, and four quaestors. The President of the Standing Bureau also serves as the

. The President is elected, by secret ballot, for the duration of the legislative period.Pagina oficiala a Senatului României
The political stance of the presidents of the upper house of the Parliament of Romania (after the development of a modern party system) is given by the following legend table: Ad interim (

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

) 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) are not listed. The interim officeholders listed have hold the office in different circumstances and for a longer time (i.e. for more than one or two days).

Notable senators

Michael I of Romania Michael I ( ro, Mihai I ; 25 October 1921 – 5 December 2017) was the last King of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his forced abdication on 30 December 1947. Shortly after Michael's ...

(November 1939 to September 1940), before becoming

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and thereby acceding to the throne of Romania for the second time during his second and last short-lived reign.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...