At stake in this election:

• 137 seats in the Senate (Senat)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Traian BASESCU *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU
• Assembly: Romania has a bicameral Parliament (Parlament) consisting of the Senate (Senat) with 137 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera Deputatilor) with 334 seats.

* President Traian BASESCU was suspended by act of Parliament on April 19, 2007, but was restored to power following a popular referendum which overturned his impeachment.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Senate (Senat) 137 members are elected by popular vote through a mixed-member proportional system to serve 4-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camera Deputatilor) 334 members are elected by popular vote through a mixed-member proportional system to serve 4-year terms.**

* Romanian voters vote for candidates in single member districts. The seats in districts where no candidate wins an absoulte majority of votes are then distributed to parties proportionally. To gain representation in the Senate, a party must win at least 5% of the national popular vote or win an absolute majority in at least 3 single-seat districts.

** Romanian voters vote for candidates in single member districts. The seats in districts where no candidate wins an absoulte majority of votes are then distributed to parties proportionally. To gain representation in the Chamber of Deputies, a party must win at least 5% of the national popular vote or win an absolute majority in at least 6 single-seat districts.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Democratic Liberal Party / Partidul Democrat-Liberal (PD-L)**
  • Leader: Emil BOC
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 51
  • Seats won in last Senate election: N/A
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 115
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: N/A
• Alliance: Social Democratic-Conservative Party Alliance / Alianţa Partidul Social Democrat + Partidul Conservator (PSD+PC)***
  • Leader: Mircea Dan GEOANA
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 49
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 57
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 114
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 132
• Party: National Liberal Party / Partidul Naţional Liberal (PNL)****
  • Leader: Calin Popescu-TARICEANU
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 28
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 49
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 65
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 112
• Party: Greater Romania Party / Partidul România Mare (PRM)
  • Leader: Corneliu Vadim TUDOR
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 21
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 0
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 48
• Party: Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania / Uniunea Democrat
  • ​Seats won in this Senate election: 9
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 10
  • Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 22
  • Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 22

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 20,537,875 (2008)
• Registered Voters: 18,464,274 (2008)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 10,546,240 (2008)

·         Is Romania a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (4 September 1980)

·         Has Romania ratified CEDAW: Yes (7 January 1982)

·         Gender Quota: No (there are some political parties that have adopted voluntary quotas)

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 38 (House of Deputies); 8 (Senate) following the 2008 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 52 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Romania a signatory to CRPD: Yes (26 September 2007)

·         Has Romania ratified CRPD: Yes (31 January 2011)

·         Population with a disability: 3,080,681 (est.)