President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania

The President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania is the deputy elected to preside over the meetings in the lower chamber of the Parliament of Romania. The President of the Chamber of Deputies is also the president of the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, and the second in the presidential line of succession, after the President of the Senate.

Election

Last election: 2024

The president of the Chamber of Deputies is elected by secret ballot with the majority of votes of the deputies. If none of the candidates receives the absolute majority of votes, the first two compete again in a second ballot, and the one with most of the votes wins.

Role

Calls the Chamber of Deputies into ordinary or extraordinary session; Presides over the Chamber's meetings; Represents the Chamber of Deputies in the relation with the president, the Senate, the Government and the Constitutional Court; Represents the Chamber of Deputies in the foreign relations; Succeeds (ad interim) the president of Romania if the president of the Senate cannot do so. He/she continues to be president of the Chamber of Deputies during the ad-interim presidency of the country and acts as president until a new president is elected or the old president comes back in office after a failed impeachment.

History

1862–1948

Between 1862 and 1948 the lower house was called Assembly of Deputies (). In 1946, the Senate was abolished by a Governmental amendment to the 1923 Constitution, and the Parliament became unicameral.

1948–1989

The Legislative was called Great National Assembly ().

1990–1992

The legislative became bicameral again, and the lower house was called again Assembly of Deputies (), as part of the Constituent Assembly (), elected together with the Senate to form both the legislative body and the body elected to write the new constitution. The assembly was headed by an elected president.

1992–present

After the Constitution was voted, the assembly changed the name in Chamber of Deputies (), headed by a president.

List of officeholders

The political stance of presidents of the lower house prior to the development of a modern party system is given by the following key/legend:

C (Conservative) MC (Moderate Conservative) RL (Radical Liberal) ML (Moderate Liberal)

The political stance of presidents of the lower house after the development of a modern party system is given by the following key/legend:

PNL = National Liberal Party (historical)/(contemporary) PC = Conservative Party PNR = Romanian National Party PP = People's Party PCD = Conservative-Democratic Party PNȚ = National Peasants' Party PND = Democratic Nationalist Party PNC = National Christian Party FRN = National Renaissance Front(from 1940 PN; Party of the Nation) FP = Ploughmen's Front PMR = Romanian Workers' Party(from 1965 PCR; Romanian Communist Party) FSN = National Salvation Front PDSR = Party of Social Democracy in Romania(from 2001 PSD; Social Democratic Party) PNȚ-CD = Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party PSDR = Romanian Social Democratic Party PDL = Democratic Liberal Party(until 2008 PD; Democratic Party) Mil. = Military Ind. = Independent

Interim (acting) officeholders are denoted by italics. The Rule of the Chamber of Deputies states that at the first standing of the house, the meeting is headed by the eldest senator and helped by the youngest senator. Those bear the title of Interim President of the Senate, and, as their term is very short (one or two days) are not listed. The interim officeholders listed have hold the office in different circumstances and for a longer time (i.e. for more than one or two days).

# Name Portrait Birth–Death Took office Left office PartyAssembly of Deputies 1862–19471Metropolitan-primate Nifon Rusailă1789–187524 January 18622 May 1864Ind.2Alexandru Emanoil Florescu1822–190729 December 186425 June 1865C3Emanoil Costache Epureanu1823–188017 December 18653 January 1866C4Nicolae Calimachi-Catargiu?–18899 January 186612 February 1866C(3)Emanoil Costache Epureanu1823–18809 May 18666 July 1866C5Lascăr Catargiu1823–18997 December 18661 November 1867C6Anastasie Fătu1816–188615 January 186815 November 1868RL7Ion C. Brătianu1821–189118 November 186829 January 1869RL8Costache Negri1812–18768 May 186917 November 1869ML9Grigore Balș1826–189520 November 18691 May 1870MC10Gheorghe Costaforu1820–18762 July 18703 February 1871C11Nicolae Păcleanu?-18785 February 187116 March 1871RL12Dimitrie Ghica1816–189726 May 187117 February 1876C13Constantin N. Brăiloiu1809/1810–188918 February 18763 May 1876C14Constantin A. Rosetti1816–188525 June 187626 May 1878PNL15George Vernescu1829–19006 June 187815 November 1878PNL(14)Constantin A. Rosetti1816–188517 November 18789 June 1881PNL16Dimitrie Brătianu1818–18929 June 188121 October 1882PNL17Dimitrie Lecca1832–188821 October 18825 March 1883PNL(14)Constantin A. Rosetti1816–188516 May 188317 October 1883PNL(17)Dimitrie Lecca1832–188819 October 18834 July 1888PNL(5)Lascăr Catargiu1823–189910 November 188814 January 1889PC18Constantin Grădișteanu1833–189019 January 188916 November 1889PC19Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino1833–191316 November 188922 February 1891PC20Gheorghe Rosnovanu1832–19043 May 189111 December 1891PC21Gheorghe Manu1833–191126 February 189224 October 1895PC22Petre S. Aurelian1833–19099 December 189521 November 1896PNL23Dimitrie Gianni1838–190223 November 189621 April 1899PNL24Constantin Olănescu1845–192813 June 189925 September 1900PC(19)Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino1833–191325 September 190014 February 1901PC25Mihail Pherekyde1842–192624 March 19019 December 1904PNL26Ștefan C. Șendrea1842–19079 December 190423 December 1904PNL27Grigore Trandafil1840–190725 February 190523 February 1907PC28Constantin Cantacuzino-Pașcanu1856–192726 February 190726 April 1907PC(25)Mihail Pherekyde1842–19268 June 190715 December 1909PNL29Basile M. Missir1843–192915 December 190916 February 1910PNL(25)Mihail Pherekyde1842–192616 February 191010 January 1911PNL(24)Constantin P. Olănescu1845–19288 March 191117 October 1912PC(28)Constantin Cantacuzino-Pașcanu1856–19271 December 191211 January 1914PCD(25)Mihail Pherekyde1842–192621 February 191411 December 1916PNL30Vasile Morțun1860–191911 December 191625 April 1918PNL31Constantin Meissner1854–19425 June 19185 November 1918PCP32Alexandru Vaida-Voevod1872–195028 November 19191 December 1919PNR33Nicolae Iorga1871–19409 December 191926 March 1920PND34Duiliu Zamfirescu1858–192230 June 192022 January 1922PP35Mihail Orleanu1859–19426 April 192227 March 1926PNL36Petre P. Negulescu1872–195110 July 19265 June 1927PP37Nicolae Săveanu1866–195230 July 192710 November 1928PNL38Ștefan Cicio Pop1865–193423 December 192830 April 1931PNȚ39Dimitrie Pompeiu1873–195420 June 193110 June 1932PND(38)Ștefan Cicio Pop1865–193410 August 193218 November 1933PNȚ(37)Nicolae Săveanu1866–195210 February 193419 November 1937PNL(32)Alexandru Vaida-Voevod1872–19509 June 19395 September 1940FRN40Mihail Sadoveanu1880–19615 December 194624 February 1948BPDGreat National Assembly 1948–198941Gheorghe Apostol1913–20107 April 194811 June 1948PMR42Constantin Agiu1891–196111 June 194827 December 1948PMR43Constantin Pârvulescu1895–199227 December 19485 July 1949PMR44Dumitru Petrescu1906–19695 July 194928 December 1949PMR45Alexandru Drăghici1913–199328 December 194926 January 1950PMR(44)Dumitru Petrescu1906–196926 January 195029 May 1950PMR46Constantin Doncea1904–197329 May 19506 September 1950PMR(41)Gheorghe Apostol1913–20106 September 19505 April 1951PMR47Ion Vincze1910–19965 April 195126 March 1952PMR(41)Gheorghe Apostol1913–201026 March 19522 June 1952PMR481900–19762 June 195230 November 1952PMR(43)Constantin Pârvulescu1895–199223 January 19535 March 1961PMR49Ștefan Voitec1900–198420 March 196128 March 1974PMR/PCR50Miron Constantinescu1917–197428 March 197418 July 1974PCR51Nicolae Giosan1921–199026 July 197422 December 1989PCRAssembly of Deputies 1990–199252Dan Marțian1935–200219 June 199016 October 1992FSNChamber of Deputies since 199253Adrian Năstase1950–28 October 199222 November 1996FDSN/PDSR54Ion Diaconescu1917–201127 November 199630 November 2000PNȚCD55Valer Dorneanu1944–15 December 200030 November 2004PDSR/PSD(53)Adrian Năstase1950–19 December 200416 March 2006PSD56Bogdan Olteanu1971–20 March 200613 December 2008PNL57Roberta Anastase1976–19 December 20083 July 2012PDL58Valeriu Zgonea1967–3 July 201219 December 2012PSD19 December 201213 June 201659Florin Iordache1960–13 June 201621 December 2016PSD60Liviu Dragnea1962–21 December 201627 May 2019PSD–Carmen-Ileana Mihălcescu1970–28 May 201929 May 2019PSD61Marcel Ciolacu1967–29 May 201919 December 2020PSD–Carmen-Ileana Mihălcescu1970–19 December 202020 December 2020PSD62Ludovic Orban1963–22 December 202018 October 2021PNL–Florin Roman1974–18 October 20212 November 2021PNL–Sorin Grindeanu1973–2 November 202123 November 2021PSD(61)Marcel Ciolacu1967–23 November 202115 June 2023PSD–Alfred Simonis1985–15 June 20232 September 2024PSD63Daniel Suciu1980–2 September 202423 December 2024PSD64Ciprian-Constantin Șerban1985–23 December 202423 June 2025PSD65Sorin Grindeanu1973–24 June 2025IncumbentPSD

References

President's page on the Chamber of Deputies website