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Nicolae Văcăroiu

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Nicolae Văcăroiu ( Romanian pronunciation: [nikoˈla.e vəkəˈroju] ; born 5 December 1943) is a Romanian politician, member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who served as Prime Minister between 1992 and 1996. Before the 1989 Revolution , he worked at the Committee for State Planning, together with Theodor Stolojan . He was the President of the Senate of Romania for almost eight years, during two legislatures (2000–2004 and 2004–2008).

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50-461: On November 20, 1992, he was appointed to the role of Prime Minister of Romania . His prime ministerial mandate began with some limited economic reforms in the areas of fiscal, budgetary, monetary, and industrial prices, which made possible the resumption of Romania's economic growth starting in 1993. Between 1993 and 1996, the GDP grew by 17.5%, after a contraction of 24.5% in 1990-1992 immediately after

100-664: A constitution ever awarded to the Danubian Principalities . It remained in place until 1858, when the Crimean War removed the two countries from Russian influence and confirmed the rule by several European powers first established by the Treaty of Paris ; the Paris Convention of 1858 remained the governing document following the election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as Domnitor ( ruling prince ) over

150-526: A conviction), incompatibility with the office, death or expiration of the term of the legislature. The prime minister, together with the minister tasked with the particular field of government, can sign resolutions and ordinances to take effect as executive orders the moment they are published in the Monitorul Oficial , the official gazette of the Romanian state. Such ordinances must be sent to

200-532: A majority of all deputies and senators approves. Once the vote of confidence is obtained, the candidate becomes the prime minister and all cabinet members become ministers. The prime minister, the ministers, and other members of the Government take an oath before the president, as stipulated under Article 82 of the Constitution. The Government as a whole and each of its members exercise their mandate from

250-606: A motion of no confidence is adopted, the prime minister and his Cabinet are officially dismissed and the President must designate an individual to form a new government. Since 1989, five prime ministers have been dismissed following the adoption of a motion of no confidence: Emil Boc (2009), Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu (2012), Sorin Grindeanu (2017), Viorica Dăncilă (2019), and Florin Cîțu (2021). Originally styled President of

300-617: Is Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who has been serving since 15 June 2023 onwards as the head of government of the National Coalition for Romania (CNR). One of the roles of the president of the republic is to designate a candidate for the office of prime minister. The president must consult with the party that has the majority in the Parliament or, if no such majority exists, with

350-402: Is defined as a "national, sovereign, independent, unitary and indivisible state". The form of government is a republic, headed by a president who serves a five-year term and who is eligible for a second term. The president represents the Romanian state in domestic and foreign relations, ensures obedience to the constitution and the proper functioning of state institutions, and is the guarantor of

400-421: Is the seventh permanent constitution in modern Romania 's history. It is the fundamental governing document of Romania that establishes the structure of its government, the rights and obligations of citizens, and its mode of passing laws. It stands as the basis of the legitimacy of the Romanian government. Adopted on 21 November 1991, it was approved on 8 December 1991 in a national referendum and promulgated on

450-594: The National Legionary State government under Ion Antonescu and the Iron Guard . Antonescu broke his alliance with the Guard in 1941, and ruled by decree until his overthrow in 1944. The 1923 constitution was reinstated pending the adoption of a new constitution ( see Romania during World War II ). The monarchy was abolished in 1947. In March 1948, the first constitution of Communist Romania

500-489: The Treaty of Trianon . The new constitution limited the powers of the King, vesting the executive power entirely in the prime minister and his Cabinet who now governed in the King's name after the latter appointed him. The new constitution also made the first steps towards a parliamentary control of the government, stipulating that either of the chambers may put ministers under accusation to stand trial. The current residence of

550-713: The University of Bucharest , in the Faculty of Economic Sociology. He was also a first degree research associate within the Central Institute for Economic Research of the Romanian Academy . He attended conferences, meetings and scientific seminars organized domestically and internationally, and published numerous articles in newspapers and magazines in economic, financial, price and monetary matters. Together with journalist Gheorghe Smeureanu, he co-authored

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600-405: The fall of the communist regime . After a drop in industrial production of 49% between 1990 and 1992, there was an increase of 22% in the 1993-1996 period. However, this growth was not sustainable, with many enterprises remaining under the weak management of the state, and produced much in stock just to report rising production figures. At the same time, foreign investment was almost non-existent, as

650-559: The Chamber or the Senate can adopt a simple motion to express their position towards an issue of internal or external politics. Parliament can dismiss an outgoing prime minister and his cabinet by adopting a motion of no confidence against the government. In order for a motion to be initiated, it must be signed by at least a quarter of deputies and senators and for it to pass, a majority of deputies and senators must vote in favour of it. After

700-494: The Council of Ministers, the office was first created in 1862 during the reign of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza . Cuza, unlike other monarchs of his time, was not a hereditary ruler. In 1859 he was elected Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia in two separate elections, thus de facto uniting the two principalities. By 1862, he had completely fused the two administrations into a single government with its capital at Bucharest ,

750-657: The Revision of the Constitution was established. However, the reform project stalled as the Social Liberal Union dissolved in early 2014 and Băsescu ended his term later that year. Băsescu's successor, Klaus Iohannis , expressed support for a second revision of the Constitution, as did Prime Minister Victor Ponta , who stated that such a revision should be a political priority in 2015, as there are no elections scheduled in Romania that year. On 18 January 2015,

800-655: The Statute expanding the Paris Convention ( Romanian : Statutul dezvoltător al Convenției de la Paris ). The new constitution created the Senate for serving Cuza's legislative purposes and vested the office of the Prince with full executive authority, while the prime minister remained his subordinate. Even though Cuza now had plenary powers, the office the prime minister remained influential, and Mihail Kogălniceanu ,

850-447: The appropriate chamber of Parliament where they are discussed in an urgent manner and they are then sent to the official gazette. In case the noticed chamber does not discuss or approve said ordinance after 30 days of its arrival, the ordinance is officially adopted and published in the gazette. An emergency ordinance cannot modify a constitutional law, concern the functioning of the fundamental institutions, rights, or liberties. Unlike in

900-473: The book "Romania, Games of Interest", published by Intact Publishing House, Bucharest, 1998. A. Internally: B. Externally: Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania ( Romanian : Prim-ministrul României ), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania (Romanian: Prim-ministrul Guvernului României ), is the head of the Government of Romania . Initially,

950-822: The coalition that supported Văcăroiu's cabinet included nationalist and conservative-communist forces (the Romanian National Unity Party , the Greater Romania Party , and the Socialist Party of Labour ) and because it insisted that the bilateral treaties referring to the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , which had led to territorial losses for Romania to the Soviet Union , from which Ukraine and Moldova had inherited their borders (those tensions diminished after Văcăroiu's and Oliviu Gherman 's visits to Chișinău and Kyiv in

1000-433: The constitutional obligation for conscription (which ended in 2006). The revised document was adopted by referendum on 18–19 October 2003; turnout was slightly above the 50%+1 threshold needed for it to be valid, with 55.7% of 17,842,103 eligible voters showing up. The opposition and NGOs alleged serious irregularities. 89.70% voted yes and 8.81%, no. It came into force ten days later. The issue of constitutional reform

1050-479: The country a political government, Cuza created the office of prime minister and brought into power the leader of the Conservative faction, Barbu Catargiu . During the first years after its creation the office held considerable authority, being able to challenge the will of the Prince and together with a Legislative Assembly composed mainly of conservatives and reactionaries, Catargiu's conservative government

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1100-418: The date of the oath. The prime minister directs the actions of the government and co-ordinates the activities of its members. The prime minister submits to the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate reports and statements on Government policy, to be debated. As head of the government, the prime minister is charged with directing the internal policy of the country and leads the public administration. In this regard,

1150-736: The economic situation of those enterprises. At the end of his term, the situation of most state-owned enterprises was disastrous, even in Bancorex (a foreign trade bank with a prospect of success), which made Romania close to unable to pay its debts. Internationally, as regards the prospect of accession to the European Union , on 1 February 1993 the European Association Agreement with the European Community, which entered into force on 1 February 1995,

1200-599: The first half of 1995). Hungary , for its part, negotiated a basic treaty, but Romania refused to accept the inclusion in this treaty of a commitment to comply with Council of Europe 's Recommendation 1201 on Minorities. The Treaty with Hungary was signed in September 1996, and in May 1996 the treaty with Yugoslavia could be signed after the Dayton Agreement and the lifting of the embargo on that country . Following

1250-447: The government cooperates with other interested social actors. As with any other office of public authority, the office of prime minister is incompatible with any other office, except that of deputy or senator and is also incompatible with a professional position in a commercial organization. The term of a prime minister ends with the individual's resignation, dismissal following a motion of no confidence, loss of electoral rights (following

1300-486: The government meetings he attends. In addition to his constitutional roles, the prime minister is, generally, the leader of the major party in the majority coalition that supports the government, although this is not always the case. The Government and the other bodies of administration must submit all information, reports or documents requested by the Chamber of Deputies , Senate , or parliamentary committees as part of

1350-503: The government opposed any significant privatization in industry, although at that time many enterprises could still be sold at reasonable prices. These delays caused Romania to enter into recession at the end of Văcăroiu's tenure as well as Bulgaria. Instead, Văcăroiu opted for an inefficient privatization method: the distribution of some enterprises to the general population, with the option of subscribing to some state-owned companies, but without providing any real and relevant information on

1400-434: The new country bearing the name Romania, but the union was in danger of being dissolved after the end of his rule. A liberal, in favour of the two great reform projects envisioned by the liberals of the time (the electoral and agrarian reforms), Cuza did not publicly espouse his political preferences or position himself as the leader of a faction, preferring to keep the office of the Prince politically neutral. In order to give

1450-443: The office of Romanian Ombudsman to ensure these are respected. The 1991 Constitution was first amended in 2003 . Articles were introduced on "Integration into the European Union " and " NATO Accession", bringing the total to 156 in 8 titles. These specified that both could take place by parliamentary vote alone, and that EU citizens living in Romania can vote and run in local elections. The revised constitution grants minorities

1500-530: The office was styled President of the Council of Ministers (Romanian: Președintele Consiliului de Miniștri ), when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called the Council of Ministers ( Romanian : Consiliul de Miniștri ). The title was officially changed to Prime Minister by the 1965 Constitution of Romania during the communist regime . The current prime minister

1550-407: The parliamentary control of government. The members of government are allowed to attend the works of Parliament and they must do so at the request of the presidents of the chambers. The prime minister and the members of his Cabinet must answer all questions or interpellations brought forward by deputies or senators as under the terms laid down in the statutes of Parliament. After such interpellations,

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1600-407: The parties represented in Parliament. Once designated, the candidate assembles a proposal for the governing program and the cabinet. The proposal must be approved by the Parliament within ten days, through a motion of no confidence . Both the program and the cabinet membership are debated by the Parliament in a joint session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The proposal is accepted only if

1650-690: The prerogatives of a president, minus three of them: he could not dissolve the Parliament, he could not address the Parliament, nor organize a public referendum. On 14 October 2008, he was voted by the Parliament as President of the Court of Audit . Văcăroiu obtained a bachelor's degree in economic studies from the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies , Faculty of Credit and Finance (1964–1969). The countries where official visits were made include Japan, China, South Korea, India, Turkey, Philippines, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Lebanon. In most of

1700-472: The president-parliamentary semi-presidential systems , such as Russia , the Romanian prime minister is not a subordinate of the president , as he cannot outright dismiss the prime minister. The president can attend the government meetings debating upon matters of national interest with regard to foreign policy, country's defense, maintenance of public order, and, at the invitation of the prime minister, in other instances as well. The president will always chair

1750-622: The prime minister is the Victoria Palace. Initially designed to be headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, Victoria Palace was the headquarters of Foreign Ministry and Council of Ministers during the Communist period and became, in 1990, headquarters of the first government of post-communist Romania . The palace was declared a historical monument in 2004. Constitution of Romania The current Constitution of Romania

1800-412: The prime minister served at the pleasure of the Prince, the latter being able to appoint and dismiss the former at any time and for any reason. Nevertheless, the prime minister still held considerable influence. After World War I led to the creation of Greater Romania another constitution was drafted in 1923 to reflect the changes the Romanian state had undergone since the Treaty of Versailles and

1850-399: The right to use their native language when dealing with local administration and the courts, improves the functioning of the legislative chambers (better specifying their attributes) and restricts the privilege of parliamentary immunity to political declarations, extends the president's term to five years, explicitly "guarantees" rather than "protects" the right to private property and removes

1900-410: The same day. The constitution was amended once by a referendum on 18 October 2003. The new text took effect on 29 October 2003. The Constitution of 1991, as revised in 2003, contains 156 articles, divided into 8 titles: Regulamentul Organic , voted by the respective Assemblies of Moldavia and Wallachia under Imperial Russian occupation in 1831–1832, was the first organic law resembling

1950-487: The state's independence, unity and integrity. Parliament is "the supreme representative organ of the Romanian people and the sole lawmaking authority"; it is bicameral ( Chamber of Deputies and Senate ) and elected for four years. After the prime minister is named by the president, Parliament validates the composition and programme of the Government and can dismiss it following a motion of censure. The constitution provides for fundamental civic rights and freedoms, and creates

2000-592: The suspension of President Traian Băsescu by the Parliament of Romania on 19 April 2007, Nicolae Văcăroiu became the interim president of Romania after the Constitutional Court of Romania acknowledged the vote of the Parliament, until the impeachment referendum results were announced on 23 May 2007. During his interim presidency, Văcăroiu, according to the Constitution of Romania had all

2050-423: The third prime minister, a liberal and former ally of Cuza often clashed with him. After Cuza's removal by coup d'état in 1866 by a coalition formed by both members of the liberal and conservative factions, the political forces of the time settled on two objectives: bringing a foreign prince from a European noble family on the country's throne and drafting a liberal constitution. The 1866 Constitution confirmed that

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2100-620: The united countries (1859), but was replaced by Cuza's own organic law, entitled Statutul dezvoltător al Convenţiei de la Paris ("Statute expanding the Paris Convention"), in 1864. Although the newly minted state was nominally still a vassal of the Ottoman Empire , it only acknowledged the suzerainty of the Sublime Porte in a formal way. The first constitution of the Romanian United Principalities

2150-528: The vice-president of the Parliamentary Commission, Valeria Schelean , requested the immediate convocation of the commission to begin working on amendments. On 6 and 7 October 2018 a referendum took place regarding the definition of the family as provided by Article 48 of the Constitution (that defines the family as being founded on the free-willed marriage "between spouses"), to prohibit same-sex marriage. The referendum failed as

2200-504: The visits, the official delegation was accompanied by businessmen (between 80 and 120 people), representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Association of Employers, and the media. The meetings between the Romanian and the Romanian businessmen were organized with the participation of the President of the Senate. Between 1975 and 1984 Văcăroiu was an associate professor at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies and at

2250-478: Was able to delay the adoption of several reforms. Frustrated by the government's opposition to reforms, and unable to work with an Assembly dominated by reactionary forces due to the censitary nature of the electoral system, Cuza launched a coup d'etat , followed by a constitutional referendum that replaced the Convention of Paris, an act that served as the constitution of the country, with his own version named

2300-403: Was adopted 1 July 1866. It was retained after Romania became a kingdom in 1881. After the extension of national territory in 1918, a new constitution was approved 29 March 1923. It was repealed by King Carol II in 1938 and replaced with a corporatist/authoritarian document with the king's National Renaissance Front as the sole legal party. This document was, in turn, cancelled in 1940 by

2350-452: Was adopted; it was heavily modeled on the Soviet constitution . Two other constitutions appeared during the Communist era, in 1952 and 1965 (the former "building socialism", the latter announcing the "socialism has won" and notably making the change from a people's republic to a socialist republic ). Following the collapse of the Communist regime in 1989, much of the 1965 document

2400-476: Was raised repeatedly in the early 2010s, especially after a major political crisis in the second half of 2012. The ruling coalition at the time, the Social Liberal Union , claimed that insufficient constitutional constraints led then-incumbent President Traian Băsescu to abuse his presidential powers, thus justifying new amendments. A public debate began in 2013 and a Parliamentary Commission for

2450-688: Was signed, and in June 1995 it obtained the agreement of all the forces policy on the objective of the country's accession to the European Union. Also, the first request for NATO membership was made. As far as relations with neighbors are concerned, the settlement of bilateral treaties has been delayed. As Yugoslavia was under international embargo because of its actions in Croatia and Bosnia , relations with it were frozen. Moldova and Ukraine accused Romania of irredentism, among other things because

2500-581: Was suspended, though portions remained in effect until the present document was adopted in 1991. The 1991 Constitution was composed by a committee of parliamentarians and constitutional law specialists; was approved by Parliament , meeting as a Constituent Assembly, by a vote of 414 to 95 on 21 November 1991, being published in Monitorul Oficial the same day; and was approved by referendum on 8 December 1991, with 77.3% voting in favour. The 1991 Constitution contains 7 titles and 152 articles. Romania

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