The Opposition Takes Charge: The Romanian General Elections of 2004

In: Problems of post-communism, Band 52, Heft 3, S. 3-15

Abstract

The result of the Romanian parliamentary & presidential elections of November, 2004 was that the pro-democratic opposition won the presidency, formed the government, & presided over a peaceful transfer of power. This article discusses the elections, & the context within which they took place, in detail. The major political parties are identified & discussed, beginning with the Social Democrats, whose incumbent presidential candidate suffered a surprising loss in the elections. Next, the major presidential candidates are discussed in turn. The results of the presidential elections, including the runoff between the final two candidates, are discussed next. The parliamentary elections are also discussed; this section also considers the developments of the months leading up to those elections. The final section considers several pitfalls that the new governing coalition must avoid to remain united long enough to translate its campaign promises into practice. 3 Tables. T. K. Brown