<item><hi format=bold>Independence:</hi> 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)
<item><hi format=bold>National holiday:</hi> National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)
<item><hi format=bold>Constitution:</hi> 8 December 1991
<item><hi format=bold>Legal system:</hi> former mixture of civil law system and Communist legal theory is being revised to conform with European norms
<item><hi format=bold>Suffrage:</hi> 18 years of age; universal
<item><hi format=bold>Executive branch:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>chief of state:</hi> 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%
<item>• <hi format=ital>head of government:</hi> Prime Minister Nicolae VACAROIU (since November 1992)
<item>• <hi format=ital>cabinet:</hi> Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister
<item><hi format=bold>Senate (Senat):</hi> elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results—PDSR 27.5%, CDR 22.5%, PP-(FSN) 11%, others 39%; seats—(143 total) PDSR 49, CDR 34, PP-(FSN) 18, PUNR 14, UDMR 12, PRM 6, PDAR 5, PSM 5
<item><hi format=bold>House of Deputies (Adunarea Deputatilor):</hi> elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results—PDSR 27.5%, CDR 22.5%, PP-(FSN) 11%, others 39%; seats—(341 total) PDSR 117, CDR 82, PP-(FSN) 43, PUNR 30, UDMR 27, PRM 16, PSM 13, other 13
<item><hi format=bold>Judicial branch:</hi> Supreme Court of Justice, Constitutional Court
<item><hi format=bold>Political parties and leaders:</hi> Democratic Party (PD-(FSN)), Petre ROMAN; Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), 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 (PDAR), Victor SURDU; The Democratic Convention (CDR), Emil CONSTANTINESCU; Romania Mare Party (PRM), Corneliu Vadim TUDOR
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<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> numerous other samll parties exist but almost all failed to gain representation in the most recent election
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<item><hi format=bold>Other political or pressure groups:</hi> various human rights and professional associations
<item><hi format=bold>Flag:</hi> three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flags of Andorra and Chad