Social Democratic Party (Romania)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Social Democratic Party ( ro, Partidul Social Democrat, PSD) is the largest
social democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
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 ...
and also the largest overall political party in the country, aside from
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
level, where it is the second largest by total number of
MEPs A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
, after the National Liberal Party (PNL). It was founded by
Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as President of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, Iliescu ...
,
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 ...
's first democratically elected president at the 1990 Romanian general election. The PSD traces its origins to the
Democratic National Salvation Front The Democratic National Salvation Front ( ro, Frontul Democrat al Salvării Naționale, FDSN) was a Romanian political party formed by former President Ion Iliescu and his supporters stemming from the National Salvation Front (FSN) on 7 April 1 ...
(FDSN), a breakaway group established in 1992 from the neo-communist National Salvation Front (FSN) established after 1989. In 1993, this merged with three other parties to become the Party of Social Democracy in Romania ( ro, Partidul Democrației Sociale in România, PDSR). The present name was adopted after a merger with the smaller Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR) in 2001. Since its formation, it has always been one of the two dominant parties of the country. The PDSR governed Romania from 1992 to 1996, while the PSDR was a junior coalition partner between 1996 and 2000. The merged PSD was the senior party in the coalitions governing from 2000 to 2004, and from March 2014 to November 2015, as well as one of the main coalition partners between December 2008 and October 2009 (with the Democratic Liberal Party, PDL) and again between May 2012 and March 2014 (as part of the
Social Liberal Union The Social Liberal Union ( ro, Uniunea Social Liberală, USL) was a grand coalition of several political parties in Romania. The alliance contained two major centre-left and centre-right parties, more specifically the Social Democratic Party (PSD ...
, USL). It is a member of the
Progressive Alliance The Progressive Alliance (PA) is a political international of social democratic and progressive political parties and organisations founded on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig, Germany. The alliance was formed as an alternative to the existing Socia ...
(PA), which was founded in 2013,
Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
(SI), and
Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a social democratic and progressive European political party. The PES comprises national-level political parties from all member states of the European Union (EU) plus Norway and the United Kingdom ...
(PES). As of 2014, the PSD had 509,000 members. The PSD left government after former Prime Minister
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
resigned in November 2015, only to return as the senior governing party in January 2017, shortly after it achieved a major victory in the 2016 Romanian legislative election. Party founder Iliescu became the
president of Romania The president of Romania ( ro, Președintele României) is the head of state of Romania. Following a modification to the Constitution of Romania, Romanian Constitution in 2003, the president is directly elected by a two-round system and serves ...
, in office from the 1989 to 1996, and again from 2000 to 2004. The largest party in the Parliament of Romania with initially 47 seats in the
Senate of Romania ) is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 136 seats (before the 2016 Romanian legislative election the total number of elected representatives was 176), to which members are elected by direct popular vote using party-li ...
and 110 seats in 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 ...
(as obtained at the 2020 Romanian legislative election), it also has the largest number of mayors, as well as the second largest number of local and county councillors and county presidents (after PNL), remaining the biggest and most influential political force in the country to the present day.


History

On 7 April 1992, the struggle for power inside the National Salvation Front ( ro, Frontul Salvării Naționale, FSN) between the more hardline group led by
Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as President of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, Iliescu ...
and the more reformist group led by
Petre Roman Petre Roman (; born 22 July 1946) is a Romanian engineer and politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from 1989 to 1991, when his government was overthrown by the intervention of the miners led by Miron Cozma. He was the first prime ministe ...
resulted in the Iliescu group withdrawing from FSN and the founding of the
Democratic National Salvation Front The Democratic National Salvation Front ( ro, Frontul Democrat al Salvării Naționale, FDSN) was a Romanian political party formed by former President Ion Iliescu and his supporters stemming from the National Salvation Front (FSN) on 7 April 1 ...
( ro, Frontul Democrat al Salvării Naționale, FDSN), which would later become the PDSR until 2003, when it rebranded as the PSD. The FDSN won the 1992 Romanian general election and went on to govern Romania until 1996. On 10 July 1993, it took the name of Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) upon merger with the Socialist Democratic Party of Romania, the Republican Party, and the Cooperative Party. From 1994 to 1996, the PDSR ruled in coalition with the
right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
Romanian National Unity Party The Romanian National Unity Party ( ro, Partidul Unităţii Naţionale a Românilor, PUNR) was a nationalist political party in Romania between 1990 and 2006. History The PUNR was the first nationalist party in post-communist Romania, created in ...
(PUNR) and
Greater Romania Party The Greater Romania Party ( ro, Partidul România Mare, PRM) is a Romanian nationalist political party. Founded in May 1991 by Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor, it was led by the latter from that point until his death in September 2015. The ...
(PRM), and the
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
Socialist Party of Labour The Socialist Party of Labour ( ro, Partidul Socialist al Muncii, PSM) was a left wing-nationalist political party in Romania. The party was labelled as neo-communist. It was founded on 16 November 1990. The chairman of the party was Ilie VerdeÅ ...
(PSM). The PUNR had ministers in the cabinet chaired by
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 ...
from March 1994 to September 1996. The PRM was not present at the cabinet-level but was given some posts in the state administration. The PDSR went into opposition after the 1996 Romanian general election, which was won by the right-wing coalition
Romanian Democratic Convention The Romanian Democratic Convention ( ro, Convenţia Democrată Română or Convenția Democratică Română; abbreviated CDR) was an electoral alliance of several democratic, anti-Communist, anti-totalitarian, and centre-right political parties i ...
(CDR). After four years of governmental turmoil and economic downfall, poorly managed by the crumbling CDR, saw PDSR making a fulminant comeback, winning the 2000 Romanian general election, this time in a coalition named the
Social Democratic Pole of Romania The Social Democratic Pole of Romania ( ro, Polul Democrat-Social din România, PDSR) was an electoral alliance in Romania ruling from 2000 to 2004 in a coalition government. History Formation It was founded by the Party of Social Democracy in Ro ...
(PDSR) along with the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR) and the
Romanian Humanist Party The Conservative Party ( ro, Partidul Conservator, PC) was a conservative political party in Romania. It was founded in 1991, approximately two years after the fall of Communism in Romania, originally under the name Romanian Humanist Party ( ro, ...
(PUR). The PSDR merged with PDSR on 16 June 2001, and the resulting party took the PSD name. In November 2004,
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
, the PSD candidate and incumbent
Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul României), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul Guvernului României, link=no), is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was s ...
, won the first round of the presidential elections but did not have a majority and had to go to a second round of voting, which he narrowly lost to
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions between 1991 ...
of the opposition
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), who became Romania's 4th president. In the 2004 Romanian general election, the PSD gained the largest share of the vote but because it did not have a majority, the other parties that managed to enter parliament, UDMR/RMDSZ and PUR, abandoned their respective pre-electoral agreements with the PSD and joined the Justice and Truth Alliance (DA), mainly at the pressure of Băsescu.
Mircea Geoană Dan Mircea Geoană (; born 14 July 1958) is a Romanian politician and former ambassador who served as president of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate from 20 December 2008 until he was revoked on 23 November 2011. From 21 ...
was elected president of the party in April 2005 by delegates at a PSD Party Congress held in Bucharest. His victory represented a surprise defeat for Iliescu, who was expected to defeat Geoană with ease. On 17 April 2008, the PSD and the PC announced they would form a political alliance for the 2008 Romanian local elections. In February 2010, the Congress elected
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
as president after Geoană lost the 2009 Romanian presidential election. On 5 February 2011, the PSD formed a political alliance known as the
Social Liberal Union The Social Liberal Union ( ro, Uniunea Social Liberală, USL) was a grand coalition of several political parties in Romania. The alliance contained two major centre-left and centre-right parties, more specifically the Social Democratic Party (PSD ...
(USL) with the PC and the National Liberal Party (PNL). The USL was disbanded on 25 February 2014 with exit of the PNL, which entered the opposition. In July 2015,
Liviu Dragnea Liviu Nicolae Dragnea (; born 28 October 1962) is a Romanian engineer and former politician. Starting his career in the Democratic Party (PD), he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), eventually becoming its leader. After holding several po ...
was elected by the Congress of the PSD as the new president of the party, with 97% of the votes from the members. He was elected as leader after the former prime minister
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
stepped down on 12 July 2015 following charges of corruption that were later dropped. On 12 April 2019, the PSD was suspended from the
Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a social democratic and progressive European political party. The PES comprises national-level political parties from all member states of the European Union (EU) plus Norway and the United Kingdom ...
(PES) following concerns about judicial reforms of the Dăncilă Cabinet. In May 2019, after
Liviu Dragnea Liviu Nicolae Dragnea (; born 28 October 1962) is a Romanian engineer and former politician. Starting his career in the Democratic Party (PD), he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), eventually becoming its leader. After holding several po ...
's jailing,
Viorica Dăncilă Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (; born 16 December 1963) is a Romanian politician, former leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and was Prime Minister of Romania from 29 January 2018 to 4 November 2019. She is the first woman in Romanian his ...
was elected by the Congress of the PSD as the new president of the party. After being ousted from power in October 2019, the PSD also lost the 2019 Romanian presidential election. Such decline sent shockwase across the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
(EU), especially the PES, as it resulted in their loss of power within
von der Leyen Commission The von der Leyen Commission is the current European Commission, in office since 1 December 2019 and is to last until the 2024 elections. It has Ursula von der Leyen as its president and it further consists of one commissioner from each of the m ...
. Nonetheless, Daniel Hegedüs posited that this could be a win for both the PES and the wider European left, as the PES would regain credibility because "mounting authoritarianism in Hungary and Poland has suffered under the burden of PSD's rule-of-law record". In addition, Hegedüs noted the fact that this could represent another chance for the PSD to reform itself and change its ways. In August 2020,
Marcel Ciolacu Ion-Marcel Ciolacu (born 28 November 1967) is a Romanian politician who currently serves as the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). A previously little known politician, Ciolacu came into national prominence when he was propped up by a f ...
became president of the party (after having previously served for this position only as ''ad interim'' between November 2019 and August 2020). During the same month, the PSD was willing to vote a
motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
against the
second Orban cabinet The Second Orban cabinet was the government of Romania until the 2020 legislative elections. It was a minority administration led by Ludovic Orban, the leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), who received the support of a parliamentary ...
. Shortly after December 2020, while still the largest party in the wake of the 2020 Romanian legislative election, the PSD suffered significant political capital losses (as they previously did in the 2020 Romanian local elections as well) given the chaotic and negative governmental activity the party was responsible for during the former legislature (more specifically during the years 2017 and 2019), yet remained the biggest
parliamentary opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...
well up until the end of 2021. During the 2021 Romanian political crisis, the PSD was again willing to have such a vote, this time against the
Cîțu Cabinet The Cîțu Cabinet was the 131st government of Romania, led by the national liberal (PNL) Prime Minister Florin Cîțu. It was removed from office after a motion of no confidence passed by the Parliament with a record of 281 votes, the largest n ...
, which it subsequently did, thereby contributing to its final dismissal. In November 2021, successful negotiations with the PNL led the PSD closer to returning government in the incumbent
Ciucă Cabinet The Ciucă Cabinet () is the 132nd and current government of Romania led by former Romanian Land Forces army general Nicolae Ciucă (PNL; also current PNL president) since 25 November 2021 to the present day. The grand coalition forming the g ...
within a grand coalition government known as the ''
National Coalition for Romania The National Coalition for Romania ( ro, Coaliția Națională pentru România, CNR) is a grand coalition in Romania, which includes the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians ...
'' (or ''CNR'' for short). The PSD is still governing Romania as of early 2022, albeit with major tensions in the said grand coalition. In november 2022, the PSD agreed with the Moldovan European Social Democratic Party to begin a strategic partnership.


Predecessors and successors


Party splits

*
Alliance for Romania Alliance for Romania ( ro, Alianța pentru România, ApR) was a political party in Romania active during the late 1990s and early 2000s which was headed by Teodor Meleșcanu. It was a splinter faction of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDS ...
(1997) * National Union for the Progress of Romania (2010) *
Romanian Social Party The Romanian Social Party ( ro, Partidul Social Românesc, PSRO) was a centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Romania, political party in Romania. It was founded in March 2015 by a number of former Social Democratic Party ...
(2015) *
United Romania Party The United Romania Party ( ro, Partidul România Unită) was a Romanian nationalist political party. It was founded by former members of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), such as Bogdan Diaconu and Greater Romania Party (PRM), like HoraÈ›iu È ...
(2015) *
PRO Romania PRO Romania (, PRO) is a minor extra-parliamentary social liberal political party in Romania. History The founding of PRO Romania was initiated in 2017 by former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, former acting/ad interim Prime Minister and Minist ...
(2018) *
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 ...
(2019) * Alliance for the Homeland (2021)


Absorbed parties

* Republican Party (1993)1 * Cooperative Party (1993)1 *
Romanian Socialist Democratic Party The Romanian Socialist Democratic Party ( ro, Partidul Socialist Democratic Român, PSDR) was a political party in Romania. During its short existence, it was easily mistaken for Romanian Social Democratic Party ( ro, Partidul Social Democrat R ...
(1993)1 * Romanian Social Democratic Party (2001)2 * Alliance for Romania (2002) *
Socialist Party of Labour The Socialist Party of Labour ( ro, Partidul Socialist al Muncii, PSM) was a left wing-nationalist political party in Romania. The party was labelled as neo-communist. It was founded on 16 November 1990. The chairman of the party was Ilie VerdeÅ ...
(2003) * Socialist Party of the National Renaissance (2003) * Romanian Social Party (2018) * United Romania Party (2019) ; Notes 1 After the merger, the party changed its name from the
Democratic National Salvation Front The Democratic National Salvation Front ( ro, Frontul Democrat al Salvării Naționale, FDSN) was a Romanian political party formed by former President Ion Iliescu and his supporters stemming from the National Salvation Front (FSN) on 7 April 1 ...
(FDSN) to the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR). 2 After the merger, the party changed its name from the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) to the Social Democratic Party (PSD).


Ideology and platform

Like its counterpart national-level members of the
Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a social democratic and progressive European political party. The PES comprises national-level political parties from all member states of the European Union (EU) plus Norway and the United Kingdom ...
(PES), the PSD has a
centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
outlook and has been described as governing as centre-left, but has also been described as pragmatic, owing to its
syncretic politics Syncretic politics, or spectral-syncretic politics, combine elements from across the conventional left–right political spectrum. The idea of syncretic politics has been influenced by syncretism and syncretic religion. The main idea of syncreti ...
. The PSD was formed as a result of the merger of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR), which had an internationalist social-democratic ideology, with the
Party of Social Democracy in Romania The Social Democratic Party ( ro, Partidul Social Democrat, PSD) is the largest social democratic political party in Romania and also the largest overall political party in the country, aside from European Parliament level, where it is the seco ...
(PDSR), whose governance was marked by a combination of
social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
,
democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self- ...
,
labourism The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...
, pragmatism, and nationalism. The 2003 absorption of the
Socialist Party of Labour The Socialist Party of Labour ( ro, Partidul Socialist al Muncii, PSM) was a left wing-nationalist political party in Romania. The party was labelled as neo-communist. It was founded on 16 November 1990. The chairman of the party was Ilie VerdeÅ ...
(PSM) and the Socialist Party of the National Renaissance (PSRN) led to the strengthening of the
left-wing nationalism Left-wing nationalism or leftist nationalism, also known as social nationalism, is a form of nationalism based upon national self-determination, popular sovereignty, national self-interest, and left-wing political positions such as social equal ...
component within the party. Unlike the majority of Western European PES party members and as other like-minded centre-left, social democratic parties in Central and Eastern European post-Communism, it has taken a more
soft Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...
outlook, though it is neutral in regards to
European integration European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...
. PSD stated that it supports EU and NATO membership. The party is more conservative than PES when it comes to social issues, reflecting the country's social-conservative outlook, including in its
centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
counterpart, the National Liberal Party (PNL). It has been described as a
left-wing nationalist Left-wing nationalism or leftist nationalism, also known as social nationalism, is a form of nationalism based upon national self-determination, popular sovereignty, national self-interest, and left-wing political positions such as social equali ...
and
left-wing populist Left-wing populism, also called social populism, is a political ideology that combines left-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric often consists of anti- elitism, opposition to the Establishment, and speaking for the "com ...
social democratic party. Alongside
Direction – Slovak Social Democracy Direction – Slovak Social Democracy ( sk, Smer – slovenská sociálna demokracia, SMER–SSD), formerly and legally called Direction – Social Democracy ( sk, Smer – sociálna demokracia, SMER–SD), is a left-wing populist political par ...
, it has been described as the PES' "''enfant terrible''". The party has been described as having
centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
rhetoric and economic policies, while being more conservative on personal and ethical matters. According to Florin Poenaru, "the movement led by Ion Iliescu was from the very beginning the party of local capitalists and not of the industrial proletariat. ... PSD was the party that aggregated the interests of the autochthonous capitalists, but whose electoral basis was the former industrial proletariat." apud Poenaru states that PSD never said no to the neoliberal agenda but applied it rather slowly.
Andrei Pleșu Andrei Gabriel Pleșu (; born 23 August 1948) is a Romanian philosopher, essayist, journalist, literary and art critic. He has been intermittently involved in politics, having been appointed Minister of Culture (1989–91), Minister of Foreign A ...
once stated that the main
post-Communist Post-communism is the period of political and economic transformation or transition in former communist states located in Eastern Europe and parts of Africa and Asia in which new governments aimed to create free market-oriented capitalist economi ...
Romanian parties do not act according to some ideology or doctrine. Political analyst Radu Magdin said that the PSD is "a catch-all party: its values are conservative, its economic policy is liberal and it has a social, left-leaning rhetoric when it comes to public policies." An example is their calls for both tax cuts and pensions and wages increase in 2016. Its more conservative outlook is owed to the social-conservative nature of
post-Communist Post-communism is the period of political and economic transformation or transition in former communist states located in Eastern Europe and parts of Africa and Asia in which new governments aimed to create free market-oriented capitalist economi ...
countries, and has been adopted by both the centre-left (PSD) and the
centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
( PNL). For Cornel Ban, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School of Boston University, the PSD is an anomaly in Eastern Europe in that it was an ideal playground for
right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establ ...
parties but has seen the
political left Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
routinely win; this was in part because the
political right Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, auth ...
and
far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
were in government, including at the local level, during the post-Communist slumps which remained in the mind of many voters. Journalist Jean-Baptiste Chastand said that the PSD-led
pro-European Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Polit ...
government in Romania took a
national conservative National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity. National conservatives usually combine nationalism with conservative stances promoting traditional cultural values, f ...
turn, and expressed his fear that it could join the Eurosceptic Hungary and Poland. The historian
Ioan Stanomir Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the cle ...
stated that PSD is a conservative party, that has nothing to do with the left, while journalist Bogdan Tiberiu Iacob described the party as progressive-conservative. PSD also opposed the mandatory refugee quotas. Journalist Daniel Mihăilescu labeled the party as
national populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establi ...
. The party has strong connections with the
Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of ...
(BOR), reflecting the party's
social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institutio ...
.


Structure


President

The president of the party conducts the general activity of the party, the activity of the National Executive Committee and the National Permanent Bureau and responds to the Congress on the general work of the PSD. The president is elected by secret vote by the Congress for a four-year mandate and represents the party in the Romanian society, in relations with the central and local public authorities, as well as with other parties or organizations in the country or abroad.


Honorary President

PSD Honorary President is nominated by Congress for the four-year mandate of the party's recognized personalities. The Honorary President of the PSD participates with the right to vote in the work of the national governing bodies.


Secretary-General

The Secretary-General manages the functional services at the central level and the relationship with the county and Bucharest organizations. It coordinates the Executive Secretariat of the PSD with 7 to 9 executive secretaries. Executive secretaries shall be appointed by the National Executive Committee, on a proposal from the Chair, after consulting the Secretary-General.


Permanent National Bureau

The Permanent National Bureau is the operative body for analyzing and deciding the party. It has the following composition: PSD President, PSD Honorary President, PSD Secretary General, PSD Deputy Chairpersons. At the National Permanent Bureau, the chairman of the National Council, the leaders of the parliamentary groups, the presidents of women and youth organizations, the treasurer, the director of the Social Democratic Institute, the representative of the county administrative council presidents, the mayors of municipalities and the representative of the National League of Mayors and PSD Councilors participate. The National Permanent Bureau meets weekly, usually Monday. The Permanent National Bureau have the following duties: * To organize and direct the entire activity of the party according to the decisions adopted as appropriate by the Congress, the National Council, and the National Executive Committee. * Drafts draft decisions that it submits to the debate and adoption of the National Executive Committee. * Orientates the work of parliamentary groups. * Establishes and coordinates working committees on doctrine, electoral programs, and strategies. * Establishes and co-ordinates political analysis groups of the economic, social, domestic and international situation. * Manages the party's patrimony.


National Executive Committee

Coordinates the entire activity of the party between the meetings of the National Council. The PSD National Executive Committee analyzes, debates and decides on the fundamental issues of the Party's work on: the program, the electoral strategy, the political and electoral alliances, the governing program, the structure and the nominal composition of the Government, the validation of the party's preliminary election for the nomination of candidates for senators, MEPs, MEPs, and elected local, merging by absorption or merging with other parties; PSD collaboration agreements with trade unions and employers' confederations; the strategy of selecting, preparing, training and promoting the party's human resources, organizing and conducting internal party choices, coordinating the activities of the Youth Organization and the Women's Organization. The adopted decisions are validated by the National Council. The National Executive Committee consists of PSD President, PSD Honorary President, PSD Secretary General, PSD Vice Presidents, President of the National Council, Presidents of County Organizations, Sectors and the Bucharest Municipality Organization, the President of the Women's Organization and the President of the Youth Organization.


National Council

The National Council is the governing body of the party in the interval between two congresses. It consists of a maximum of 751 members elected from the candidates nominated by the County and Bucharest Conferences, or proposed by the Congress. The National Council elects and revokes by secret vote the President of the National Council and the treasurer, validates the composition of the National Executive Committee and The Permanent National Bureau; decides to conclude political alliances as well as merge by merging or absorbing with other political parties or political parties; to hear the activity reports submitted by members of the Permanent National Bureau, by the Chairman of the Commission for Arbitration and Moral Integrity, by the President of the National Commission for Financial Control and Treasurer and decides accordingly on the basis of the mandate given by the Congress, according to the provisions of the Statute; is responsible for organizing presidential, parliamentary, euro-parliamentary and local electoral campaigns; analyzes the work of parliamentary groups, women's and youth organizations, the National League of Mayors and PSD Councilors; validates the decisions of the National Executive Committee on the Governance Program and confirms the proposals of members of the Government; resolve the appeals lodged against the decisions of the councils of the county organizations or of the Bucharest municipality; resolves the divergences between the Councils of the County Organizations, respectively the Bucharest Municipality Organization and the National Executive Committee in connection with the nomination of the candidates for the legislative elections, if they persist; approves the party's annual revenue and expenditure budget, decides on its execution. The PSD National Council meets annually and whenever needed. Deputies, senators and MEPs who are not members of the National Council participate in its meetings without the right to vote. The National Council may decide, on a proposal from the Permanent National Bureau, to organize forums, leagues, associations, clubs and other such bodies for the promotion of strategies in the PSD Political Program, in the Romanian society and in partnership with the trade unions. The party-union relationship as well as the concrete ways of collaboration will be established by the National Permanent Bureau. Within the PSD there are: the National Workers' Forum; National Farmers Forum; National Ecologists' Forum; The National Forum of Scientists, Culture and Art and the Pensioners' League. In order to develop PSD programs and strategies in the field of party life, consultative councils can be set up on: political analysis, image and relations with the media; organization and human resources. The Consultative Council for the Problems of National Minorities of the PSD carries out activities to identify the specific problems faced by national minorities in Romania and develops appropriate solutions and proposals for their resolution.


Congress

The supreme governing party of the Social Democratic Party is the Congress, which is convened every four years or in extraordinary cases. The PSD Congress is made up of elected delegates by secret ballot by the County Conferences and the Bucharest Municipality and has the following attributions: adopting or modifying the PSD Statute and the Political Program of the Party; sets out the party's guidelines, strategy and tactics for the period between two congresses; elects the party chairman, the vice-presidents, the general secretary, the other members of the National Council, the National Commission for Arbitration and Moral Integrity and the National Commission for Financial Control; appoints the PSD candidate to the position of President of Romania and the Prime Minister in the event of winning the elections; resolves possible appeals against decisions of other PSD central bodies.


Party leadership

; Notes 1 Roman subsequently served as
Senate President 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 ex ...
between November 1996 to December 1999. 2 Năstase served twice as Chamber President, the first term from March 1992 to May 1996, while the second from December 2004 to March 2006.


Presidents

*
Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as President of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, Iliescu ...
: December 1989–June 1990 (FSN); *
Petre Roman Petre Roman (; born 22 July 1946) is a Romanian engineer and politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from 1989 to 1991, when his government was overthrown by the intervention of the miners led by Miron Cozma. He was the first prime ministe ...
: June 1990 – 1992 (FSN); *
Oliviu Gherman Oliviu Gherman (26 April 1930–11 August 2020) was a Romanian physicist, politician, university professor, and diplomat. Born in 1930 in Sânmihaiu de Sus village, Turda County (now part of Mihai Viteazu commune, Cluj County), he complete ...
: 1992–1996 (FDSN/PDSR); *
Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as President of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, Iliescu ...
: 1997–2000 (PDSR); *
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
: 2000–2005 (
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 ...
/ad interim until 2001) (PDSR/PSD); *
Mircea Geoană Dan Mircea Geoană (; born 14 July 1958) is a Romanian politician and former ambassador who served as president of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate from 20 December 2008 until he was revoked on 23 November 2011. From 21 ...
: 2005–2010 (PSD); *
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
: 2010–2015 (PSD); * ''
Rovana Plumb Rovana is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is located at the western edge of Owens Valley, north-northeast of Mount Tom, at an elevation of 5141 feet (1567 m). History Rovana was established in 1947, when the US Vanad ...
'': 2015 (
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 ...
/ad interim) (PSD); *
Liviu Dragnea Liviu Nicolae Dragnea (; born 28 October 1962) is a Romanian engineer and former politician. Starting his career in the Democratic Party (PD), he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), eventually becoming its leader. After holding several po ...
: 2015–2019 (PSD); *
Viorica Dăncilă Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (; born 16 December 1963) is a Romanian politician, former leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and was Prime Minister of Romania from 29 January 2018 to 4 November 2019. She is the first woman in Romanian his ...
: 2019 (PSD); * ''
Marcel Ciolacu Ion-Marcel Ciolacu (born 28 November 1967) is a Romanian politician who currently serves as the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). A previously little known politician, Ciolacu came into national prominence when he was propped up by a f ...
'': 2019–present (
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 ...
/ad interim until 2020) (PSD).


Executive presidents

*
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
: 1993–1997; * ''position abolished'' 1997–2003; * Octav Cozmâncă: 2003–2005; *
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
: 2005–2006; * : 2005–2006, when the office was dissolved (nominated
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 ...
/ad interim after the resignation of
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
from the office); * ''position abolished'' 2006–2013; *
Liviu Dragnea Liviu Nicolae Dragnea (; born 28 October 1962) is a Romanian engineer and former politician. Starting his career in the Democratic Party (PD), he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), eventually becoming its leader. After holding several po ...
: 2013–2015; *
Valeriu Zgonea Valeriu Ștefan Zgonea (born 3 September 1967 in Craiova, Dolj County, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a Romanian politician who served as President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania between 3 July 2012 and 13 June 2016. On 18 October 201 ...
: 2015–2016; * : 2016–2018; *
Viorica Dăncilă Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (; born 16 December 1963) is a Romanian politician, former leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and was Prime Minister of Romania from 29 January 2018 to 4 November 2019. She is the first woman in Romanian his ...
: 2018–2019; * '' Paul Stănescu'': 2019 (
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 ...
/ad interim); * : 2019; * ''position abolished'': 2019–present.


Notable members


Current notable members

*
Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as President of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, Iliescu ...
, founding father (alias ''tătuc'' in Romanian) of the party as FSN, then as FDSN, as PDSR, and ultimately as PSD, former President of Romania, and Honorary President of PSD; *
Petre Roman Petre Roman (; born 22 July 1946) is a Romanian engineer and politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from 1989 to 1991, when his government was overthrown by the intervention of the miners led by Miron Cozma. He was the first prime ministe ...
, co-founder of the FSN along with Iliescu and
Dumitru Mazilu Dumitru Mazilu (born 24 June 1934) is a Romanian politician. He had a key role in the events of the Romanian Revolution of December 1989 and in exposing the human rights abuses of the Nicolae Ceaușescu, Ceaușescu regime. Professional career Ma ...
, former president of the party (when it was still known as FSN), former Prime Minister, former President of the Senate as well as former Minister of Foreign Affairs; *
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 ...
, former Prime Minister of Romania; * Alexandru Athanasiu, former acting Prime Minister; *
Viorel Hrebenciuc Viorel Hrebenciuc (; born 7 August 1953) is a Romanian politician and statistician. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania for Bacău County from 1996 to 2014. Biography He was ...
, former deputy; * Eugen Bejinariu, former acting Prime Minister; *
Ilie Sârbu Ilie Sârbu (born 26 May 1950) is a Romanian theologian, economist and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he sat in the Romanian Senate from 2004 to 2015, representing Timiș County. In the Adrian Năstase cabinet, he was ...
, former President of the Senate; * Paul Stănescu, former Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Regional Development; * Ecaterina Andronescu, former Minister of Education; *
Marcel Ciolacu Ion-Marcel Ciolacu (born 28 November 1967) is a Romanian politician who currently serves as the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). A previously little known politician, Ciolacu came into national prominence when he was propped up by a f ...
, current president of the party since 2019 onwards; *
Gabriela Firea Gabriela Firea (born Gabriela Vrânceanu, 13 July 1972) is a Romanian journalist and politician who served as mayor of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, between 2016 and 2020. At the 2016 Romanian local elections, June 2016 local election, Fir ...
, former Mayor of Bucharest; *
Titus Corlățean Titus Corlățean (; born 11 January 1968) is a Romanian politician and diplomat, former Minister of Justice and of Foreign Affairs. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), part of the Party of European Socialists, and was elected to ...
, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice; *
Rovana Plumb Rovana is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is located at the western edge of Owens Valley, north-northeast of Mount Tom, at an elevation of 5141 feet (1567 m). History Rovana was established in 1947, when the US Vanad ...
, MEP, Minister of Environment, Minister of Labour; * Mihai Tudose, former Prime Minister of Romania; *
Sorin Grindeanu Sorin Mihai Grindeanu (; born 5 December 1973) is a Romanian politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania from January to June 2017 when he was removed by a motion of no confidence adopted by the Parliament. He served as ad interim Presid ...
, former Prime Minister of Romania; * Mihai Fifor, former acting Prime Minister of Romania; *
Dan Nica Dan Nica (born July 2, 1960) is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2014. He held a seat in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Galați County f ...
, former deputy and current MEP; * Lia Olguța Vasilescu, Mayor of Craiova, Minister of Labour; * Alexandru Rafila, current Health Minister.


Former notable members

*
Gabriel Oprea Gabriel Oprea (; born 1 January 1961) is a Romanian politician and a general in the army reserves. The former president of the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) and a former member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) who is now a ...
, former army general (now general in army reserves), former Minister of National Defence, former Deputy Prime Minister of Romania, former Minister of Internal Affairs, former acting Prime Minister of Romania; * Corina Crețu, former
European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms The Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms is a portfolio within the European Commission. The current Commissioner is Elisa Ferreira. The portfolio is responsible for managing the regional policy of the European Union, such as the European Region ...
; *
Viorica Dăncilă Vasilica Viorica Dăncilă (; born 16 December 1963) is a Romanian politician, former leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and was Prime Minister of Romania from 29 January 2018 to 4 November 2019. She is the first woman in Romanian his ...
, former president of the party, former Prime Minister of Romania; *
Adrian Năstase Adrian Năstase (; born 22 June 1950) is a Romanian jurist, academic/professor, blogger, and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Romania from October 2000 to December 2004. He competed in the 2004 presidential election as th ...
, former president of the party, former Prime Minister of Romania as well as former Minister of Foreign Affairs; *
Teodor Meleșcanu Teodor Viorel Meleșcanu (; born 10 March 1941) is a Romanian politician, diplomat, and jurist. He served as Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (Romania), Foreign Intelligence Service of Romania (SIE) between 2012 and 2014. He was a t ...
, former Minister of Defence, former acting Minister of Justice, former Director of the Foreign Intelligence; Service (SRI), former Minister of Foreign Affairs three times, former President of the Senate; *
Robert Negoiță Robert Sorin Negoiță (born 29 March 1972) is a Romanian politician and businessman. Placed on one of the top spots of ''Capital'' magazine's richest Romanians list, he is currently the mayor of Bucharest's Sector 3. Life and career Family ...
, former Mayor of the 3rd Sector of Bucharest; *
Mircea Geoană Dan Mircea Geoană (; born 14 July 1958) is a Romanian politician and former ambassador who served as president of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate from 20 December 2008 until he was revoked on 23 November 2011. From 21 ...
, former president of the party, former President of the Senate as well as former Minister of Foreign Affairs; *
Sorin Oprescu Sorin Mircea Oprescu (; born 7 November 1951) is a Romanian independent politician and medical doctor who previously served as Mayor of Bucharest between 2008 and 2015. Political activity Oprescu first ran for Mayor of Bucharest in 1998 backe ...
, former Mayor of Bucharest; *
Marian Vanghelie Daniel Marian Vanghelie (born 1968 in Bucharest, Romania) is a Romanian politician, the former mayor of the 5th Sector of Bucharest (2000–2016) and a former member of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD). He ran for a fifth term in 2016 ...
, former Mayor of the 5th Sector of Bucharest; * Radu Mazăre, former Mayor of Constanța; *
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
, former president of the party as well as former Prime Minister of Romania; *
Valeriu Zgonea Valeriu Ștefan Zgonea (born 3 September 1967 in Craiova, Dolj County, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a Romanian politician who served as President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania between 3 July 2012 and 13 June 2016. On 18 October 201 ...
, former President of the Chamber of Deputies; *
Liviu Dragnea Liviu Nicolae Dragnea (; born 28 October 1962) is a Romanian engineer and former politician. Starting his career in the Democratic Party (PD), he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), eventually becoming its leader. After holding several po ...
, former president of the party as well as former President of the Chamber of Deputies; *
Oliviu Gherman Oliviu Gherman (26 April 1930–11 August 2020) was a Romanian physicist, politician, university professor, and diplomat. Born in 1930 in Sânmihaiu de Sus village, Turda County (now part of Mihai Viteazu commune, Cluj County), he complete ...
, former president of the party as well as former President of the Chamber of Deputies; * Șerban Valeca, acting President of the Senate; *
Hildegard Puwak Hildegard Carola Puwak (16 September 1949–25 May 2018) was a Romanian politician, a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who served as the Minister for European Integration from 2000 until October 2003 (as part of the Adrian Năstase ...
, former Minister for European Integration; *
Antonie Iorgovan Antonie Iorgovan (9 August 1948 – 4 October 2007) was a Romanian jurist, professor, and politician. He was born in Gornea, Caraș-Severin County, Banat, Socialist Republic of Romania. After attending elementary school in his hometown and two year ...
, lead author of the 1991 Romanian Constitution; *
Cristian Diaconescu Cristian Diaconescu (; born 2 July 1959) is a Romanian jurist and politician. He previously belonged to the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), as well as to the People's Movement Party (PMP) ...
, former State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former Minister of Justice, former Minister of Foreign Affairs twice.


Electoral history


Legislative elections

; Notes 1
Social Democratic Pole of Romania The Social Democratic Pole of Romania ( ro, Polul Democrat-Social din România, PDSR) was an electoral alliance in Romania ruling from 2000 to 2004 in a coalition government. History Formation It was founded by the Party of Social Democracy in Ro ...
members: PDSR, PSDR (2 senators and 10 deputies), and PUR (4 senators and 6 deputies). 2 National Union PSD+PUR members: PSD and PUR (11 senators and 19 deputies). 3 Soon after the elections, PUR broke the alliance with the PSD and switched sides, joining the government led by 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). 4
Alliance PSD+PC The Alliance PSD+PC ( ro, Alianța PSD+PC) was a center-left electoral alliance in Romania between 2008 and 2009. History Formation In continuation with the 2004 National Union PSD+PUR alliance, the new alliance was founded in 2008 between ...
members: PSD and PC (1 senator and 4 deputies). 5 The
Social Liberal Union The Social Liberal Union ( ro, Uniunea Social Liberală, USL) was a grand coalition of several political parties in Romania. The alliance contained two major centre-left and centre-right parties, more specifically the Social Democratic Party (PSD ...
(USL) was an alliance consisting of two smaller alliances, more specifically the
Centre Left Alliance The Centre Left Alliance (Romanian: ''Alianţa de Centru Stânga'', ACS) was a political alliance between the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) founded in August 2012. The alliance was par ...
(ACS) and the
Centre Right Alliance The Centre Right Alliance ( ro, Alianţa de Centru Dreapta, ACD) was a centre-right political alliance between 2011 and 2013. History Formation The alliance was founded in January 2011 by the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Conservative ...
(ACD). The members of the
Centre Left Alliance The Centre Left Alliance (Romanian: ''Alianţa de Centru Stânga'', ACS) was a political alliance between the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) founded in August 2012. The alliance was par ...
(ACS) were the PSD and the UNPR (5 senators and 10 deputies) whereas the members of the
Centre Right Alliance The Centre Right Alliance ( ro, Alianţa de Centru Dreapta, ACD) was a centre-right political alliance between 2011 and 2013. History Formation The alliance was founded in January 2011 by the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Conservative ...
(ACD) were the PNL (50 senators and 100 deputies) and the PC (8 senators and 13 deputies).


Local elections


County council elections


Mayor of Bucharest elections

; Notes 1 Independent candidate endorsed by the Social Liberal Union, USL


Presidential elections


European Parliament elections

; Notes 1
Alliance PSD+PC The Alliance PSD+PC ( ro, Alianța PSD+PC) was a center-left electoral alliance in Romania between 2008 and 2009. History Formation In continuation with the 2004 National Union PSD+PUR alliance, the new alliance was founded in 2008 between ...
members: PSD and PC (1 MEP). 2 Social Democractic Union (USD) members: PSD, PC (2 MEPs), and UNPR (2 MEPs).


Controversies

Political opponents have criticised PSD for harbouring former Romanian Communist Party (PCR) officials, and for allegedly attempting to control the Romanian mass media. By 2009, a number of its incumbent or former senior members have also been accused of corruption, interfering in the judiciary and using their political positions for personal enrichment. As of 2015, founding member Ion Iliescu is facing prosecution on charges of crimes against humanity for his role in the June 1990 Mineriad, while former president Liviu Dragnea was convicted for electoral fraud and for instigation to the abuse of public office and being indicted for forming an "organised criminal group" in 2018. That same year, former president Victor Ponta had also been investigated for corruption but was ultimately acquitted. Adrian Năstase temporarily self-suspended himself from the position on 16 January 2006, pending investigation of a scandal provoked by his wealth declaration, where he was accused of corruption. Alleged text transcripts of PSD meetings surfaced on an anonymous website just before the 2004 Romanian general election. Năstase and his ministers are shown talking about political involvement in corruption trials of the government's members, or involvement in suppressing "disobedient" media. Năstase stated that the transcripts were fake, but several party members, including former PSD president and former foreign minister
Mircea Geoană Dan Mircea Geoană (; born 14 July 1958) is a Romanian politician and former ambassador who served as president of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate from 20 December 2008 until he was revoked on 23 November 2011. From 21 ...
, have said they are genuine, though Geoană later retracted his statement. Security expert Iulian Fota stated that PSD is an Neocommunism, neocommunist anti-Western sentiment, anti-Western party backed by Russia. Politicians of the party have occasionally employed "utilitarian anti-Semitism", meaning that politicians who may usually not be antisemites played off certain antisemitic prejudices in order to serve their political necessities. On 5 March 2012, PSD Senator Dan Șova, at that time the party spokesman, said on ''The Money Channel'' that "no Jew suffered on Romanian territory, thanks to marshal Ion Antonescu, Antonescu." Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania expressed its deep disagreement and indignation over the statements of the spokesman of the party. Following public outcry, Șova retracted his statement and issued a public apology; nevertheless, the chairman of the party,
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian jurist and politician, who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of ...
, announced his removal from the office of party spokesman. Between 2017 and 2019, the party, along with its former junior coalition partners, more specifically the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (Romania), Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ), had unsuccessfully tried to pass a series of tremendously controversial laws related to the judicial system. In a 2018 preliminary opinion, the Venice Commission stated that the changes could severely undermine the independence of judges and prosecutors in Romania. This unsuccessful endeavour committed by the former PSD–ALDE coalition was the basis for the nationwide 2017–2019 Romanian protests, the largest in the country's entire history thus far.


See also

* Politics of Romania


References


External links


Official website
{{coord, 44, 27, 40.46, N, 26, 4, 52.85, E, display=title Social Democratic Party (Romania), 1992 establishments in Romania Full member parties of the Socialist International Party of European Socialists member parties Political parties established in 1992 Progressive Alliance Registered political parties in Romania Social democratic parties in Romania