President of the Senate of Romania

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

President of the Senate of Romania
Coat of arms of the Senate
Incumbent
Nicolae Ciucă (PNL)
since 13 June 2023
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderNifon Rusailă (1864)
Alexandru Bârlădeanu (1990)
Formation1864
1990
SuccessionFirst

Election

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

Role

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

History

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1864–1866

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

1866–1946

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

1946–1989

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

1990–present

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

List of officeholders

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corpul Ponderator 1864–1866

1 Metropolitan-primate Nifon Rusailă   1789–1875 6 December 1864 1 June 1866 Ind.

Senate 1866–1947

(1) Metropolitan-primate Nifon Rusailă   1789–1875 1 June 1866 6 June 1868 Ind.
2 Ştefan Golescu   1809–1874 6 September 1868 15 November 1868 RL
3 Nicolae Golescu   1810–1877 18 November 1868 9 July 1869 RL
4 Alexandru Plagino   1821–1894 2 September 1869 4 March 1871 MC
(1) Metropolitan-primate Nifon Rusailă   1789–1875 4 March 1871 5 May 1875 Ind.
5 Metropolitan-primate Calinic Miclescu   1822–1886 9 June 1875 25 March 1879 Ind.
6 Constantin Bosianu   1815–1882 29 May 1879 15 November 1879 PNL
7 Dimitrie Ghica   1816–1897 17 November 1879 8 September 1888 PNL
8 Ion Emanoil Florescu   1819–1893 4 November 1888 7 December 1889 PC
9 Nicolae Creţulescu   1812–1900 13 December 1889 9 June 1890 PC
(8) Ion Emanoil Florescu   1819–1893 17 November 1890 21 February 1891 PC
10 Constantin Boerescu   1836–1908 1 March 1891 11 December 1891 PC
11 Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino   1833–1913 25 February 1892 24 October 1895 PC
12 Dimitrie Ghica   1816–1897 9 December 1895 15 February 1897 PNL
13 Dimitrie Alexandru Sturdza   1833–1914 20 February 1897 31 March 1897 PNL
14 Eugeniu Stătescu   1836–1905 31 March 1897 18 November 1897 PNL
15 Nicolae Gane   1838–1916 18 November 1897 21 April 1899 PNL
(10) Constantin Boerescu   1836–1908 13 June 1899 14 February 1901 PC
(14) Eugeniu Stătescu   1836–1905 24 March 1901 15 November 1902 PNL
16 Petre S. Aurelian   1833–1909 16 November 1902 23 December 1904 PNL
(10) Constantin Boerescu   1836–1908 25 February 1905 26 April 1907 PC
(16) Petre S. Aurelian   1833–1909 9 June 1907 24 January 1909 PNL
17 Constantin Budișteanu   1838–1911 28 January 1909 10 January 1911 PNL
(11) Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino   1833–1913 10 March 1911 23 March 1913 PC
18 Theodor Rosetti   1837–1932 27 March 1913 3 July 1913 PC
19 Ioan Lahovary   1844–1915 3 July 1913 11 January 1914 PC
20 Basile M. Missir   1843–1929 21 February 1914 9 December 1916 PNL
21 Emanoil Porumbaru   1845–1921 9 December 1916 25 April 1918 PNL
22 Dimitrie Dobrescu   1852–1934 4 June 1918 5 November 1918 PCP
23 Paul Bujor   1862–1952 28 November 1919 26 March 1920
24 Constantin Coandă   1857–1932 22 June 1920 22 January 1922 PP
25 Mihail Pherekyde   1842–1926 31 March 1922 24 January 1926 PNL
26 Constantin I. Nicolaescu   1861–1945 3 February 1926 27 March 1926 PNL
(24) Constantin Coandă   1857–1932 18 July 1926 5 June 1927 PP
27 Constantin I. Nicolaescu   1861–1945 18 July 1927 10 November 1928 PNL
28 Traian Bratu   1875–1940 23 December 1928 30 April 1931 PNȚ
29 Mihail Sadoveanu   1880–1961 18 June 1931 10 June 1932 Ind.
30 Neculai Costăchescu   1876–1939 4 August 1932 18 November 1933 PNȚ
31 Leonte Moldovan   1865–1943 10 February 1934 15 November 1935 PNL
32 Constantin Dimitriu-Dovlecel   1872–1945 15 November 1935 15 November 1936 PNL
33 Alexandru Lapedatu   1876–1950 16 November 1936 20 March 1937 PNL
34 Nicolae Iorga   1871–1940 9 June 1939 13 June 1939 Ind.
35 Constantin Argetoianu   1871–1955 15 June 1939 5 September 1940 FNR/PN

Senate since 1990

36 Alexandru Bârlădeanu   1911–1997 18 June 1990 16 October 1992 FSN
37 Oliviu Gherman   1930–2020 22 October 1992 22 November 1996 FDSN/PDSR
38 Petre Roman   1946– 27 November 1996 22 December 1999 PD
39 Mircea Ionescu-Quintus 1917–2017 4 February 2000 30 November 2000 PNL
40 Nicolae Văcăroiu   1943– 15 December 2000 30 November 2004 PDSR/PSD
19 December 2004 14 October 2008 PSD
Doru Ioan Tărăcilă [ro]
(acting)
  1951– 14 October 2008 28 October 2008 PSD
41 Ilie Sârbu   1950– 28 October 2008 13 December 2008 PSD
42 Mircea Geoană   1958– 19 December 2008 23 November 2011 PSD
Petru Filip
(acting)
  1955– 23 November 2011 28 November 2011 PDL
43 Vasile Blaga   1956– 28 November 2011 3 July 2012 PDL
44 Crin Antonescu   1959– 3 July 2012 19 December 2012 PNL
19 December 2012 4 March 2014
Cristian Dumitrescu
(acting)
  1955– 5 March 2014 10 March 2014 PSD
45 Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu   1952– 10 March 2014 21 December 2016 Ind./PLR/ALDE
21 December 2016 2 September 2019 ALDE
Șerban Valeca
(acting)
1956–2022 2 September 2019 10 September 2019 PSD
46 Teodor Meleșcanu   1941– 10 September 2019 3 February 2020 Ind. with
PSD support
Titus Corlățean
(acting)
  1968– 3 February 2020 9 April 2020 PSD
Robert Cazanciuc [ro]
(acting)
  1971– 9 April 2020 21 December 2020 PSD
47 Anca Dragu   1972– 21 December 2020 23 November 2021 USR PLUS[a]/USR
48 Florin Cîțu   1972– 23 November 2021 29 June 2022 PNL
Alina Gorghiu
(acting)
  1978– 29 June 2022 13 June 2023 PNL
49 Nicolae Ciucă   1967– 13 June 2023 Incumbent PNL

Notes

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  1. ^ PLUS member

References

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