pe: republic

Capital: Bucharest

Administrative divisions: 40 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1
municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor,
Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau,
Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj,
Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Maramures,
Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu,
Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Independence: 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)

National holiday: National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)

Constitution: 8 December 1991

Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and Communist legal
theory; is now based on the Constitution of France's Fifth Republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ion ILIESCU (since 20 June 1990, previously
President of Provisional Council of National Unity since 23 December
1989); election last held 27 September 1992, with runoff between top
two candidates on 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results -
Ion ILIESCU 61.4%, Emil CONSTANTINESCU 38.6%
head of government: Prime Minister Nicolae VACAROIU (since November
1992)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
Senate (Senat): elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held
NA 1996); results - PSDR 34.3%, CDR 18.2%, DP-FSN 12.6%, others 34.9%;
seats - (143 total) PSDR 49, CDR 26, DP-FSN 18, PUNR 13, UDMR 12, PRM
6, PAC 6, PDAR 5, PSM 5, PL-93 2 other 1
House of Deputies (Adunarea Deputatilor): elections last held 27
September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - PSDR 34.0%, CDR
16,4%, DP-FSN 12.3%, others 37.3%; seats - (341 total) PSDR 116, CDR
56, DP-FSN 42, PUNR 29, UDMR 27, PL-93 19, PRM 15, PSM 13, PAC 5,
other 19

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice, Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party (DP-FSN), Petre ROMAN;
Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSDR), Adrian NASTASE; Democratic
Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Bela MARKO; National Liberal
Party (PNL), Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS; National Peasants' Christian and
Democratic Party (PNTCD), Corneliu COPOSU; Romanian National Unity
Party (PUNR), Gheorghe FUNAR; Socialist Labor Party (PSM), Ilie
VERDET; Agrarian Democratic Party of Romania (PDA