Romania
Romania, 1989 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
After the fall of communism and the Romanian revolution in 1989, Romania transitioned to liberal democracy. Romania has been a member of NATO since 29 March 2004 and of the EU since 1 January 2007. Romania is a developed country with a high-income economy and is widely regarded as a middle power in international relations.
Seat of power: Bucharest
Rulers
Ion Iliescu
president of Romania, 1989–1996
He had a leading role in the Romanian Revolution, becoming the country's president in December 1989. In May 1990, he became Romania's first freely elected head of state.
Portrait of Ion Iliescu: Aluísio/Vice-presidência da República, CC BY 3.0 br, file
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Emil Constantinescu
president of Romania, 1996–2000
In 1996, Constantinescu competed once again for the presidency as the CDR's candidate and managed to defeat Iliescu in the second round. On the day he took office, he suspended his membership in the PNȚ-CD, as the Constitution precludes a president holding formal membership of a political party.
Portrait of Emil Constantinescu: RO2019EU ., CC BY-SA 2.0, file
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Ion Iliescu
president of Romania, 2000–2004
He served again from 2000 to 2004, after the presidency of Emil Constantinescu, who defeated him in 1996. In 2004, during his presidency, Romania joined NATO and negotiations to join the EU intensified.
Portrait of Ion Iliescu: Aluísio/Vice-presidência da República, CC BY 3.0 br, file
Traian Băsescu
president of Romania, 2004–2014
During his presidency, Romania became a member state of the European Union, on January 1, 2007. He is the only president of Romania to have been suspended by the parliament twice, in 2007 and 2012.
Portrait of Traian Băsescu: European People's Party, CC BY 2.0, file
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Crin Antonescu
president of Romania, 2012–2012
Antonescu became Acting President of Romania on 10 July 2012, a few days after President Traian Băsescu was suspended for a second time, and ended his term on 27 August the same year.
Portrait of Crin Antonescu: Government of Romania, Attribution, file
Klaus Iohannis
president of Romania, 2014–2025
Klaus Werner Iohannis served as the president of Romania from 2014 until his resignation in 2025. He was re-elected by a landslide in 2019. His term was extended due to the annulment of the 2024 presidential election, but he resigned in February 2025.
Portrait of Klaus Iohannis: European Union, European Parliament, file
Nicușor Dan
president of Romania, 2025 to today
Dan was elected President of Romania in 2025 as an independent candidate, defeating George Simion of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians. He campaigned on a pro-European Union and pro-NATO platform. His presidency has been marked by political instability, including the collapse of a governing coalition led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan following a motion of no confidence in May 2026.
Portrait of Nicușor Dan: U.S. Embassy Romania, Public domain, file
Ilie Bolojan
president of Romania, 2025–2025
On 12 February 2025, following the resignation of Klaus Iohannis, Bolojan became the acting president of Romania, serving until Nicușor Dan's inauguration on 26 May 2025. During his acting presidency, his term as president of the Senate was suspended.
Portrait of Ilie Bolojan: gov.ro (Romanian Government), Attribution, file
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Culture
- The country possesses 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- Romania is a global net exporter of automotive parts and is an increasingly prominent technology centre with some of the fastest internet speeds in the world.
- The Romanian revolution was a period of violent civil unrest in the Socialist Republic of Romania during December 1989. According to estimates, over one thousand people died and thousands more were injured.
Picture
The Romanian revolution started in the city of Timișoara and soon spread throughout the country.
Image: Not credited, Attribution, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.