Emil Constantinescu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emil Constantinescu
Constantinescu in 1998
3rd President of Romania
In office 29 November 1996 – 20 December 2000
Prime Minister	Nicolae Văcăroiu Victor Ciorbea Gavril Dejeu (Acting) Radu Vasile Alexandru Athanasiu (Acting) Mugur Isărescu
Preceded by	Ion Iliescu
Succeeded by	Ion Iliescu
Leader of the Romanian Democratic Convention
In office November 1992 – 29 November 1996
Preceded by	Corneliu Coposu
Personal details
Born	(1939-11-19) 19 November 1939 (age 85) Tighina, Ținutul Nistru, Kingdom of Romania (present day de jure Tighina, Republic of Moldova, de facto Bender, Transnistria)
Political party	National Liberal Party (2008–present)
Other political affiliations	Romanian Communist Party (1965–1989) Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (1990–1996) Independent (1996–2000; PNȚ-CD membership suspended while president) People's Action (2001–2008)
Spouse	Nadia Ileana Constantinescu
Children	Dragoș Norina Boru
Profession	Professor of Geology
Religion	Eastern Orthodox
Signature

Emil Constantinescu (born 19 November 1939) is a Romanian professor and politician. He was the President of Romania from 1996 to 2000.

After the Romanian Revolution in 1989, Constantinescu helped create the Civic Alliance. This group worked for democracy in Romania. He also led the Democratic Romanian Anti-Totalitarian Forum. This was an early group of people who wanted democracy after the communist rule. Later, this group became the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR). He also led the People's Action party. Today, he is still involved in Romanian politics, but not as much.

Early Life and Education

Emil Constantinescu was born on November 19, 1939. His birthplace was Tighina, which is now called Bender. This area is currently part of Transnistria. His mother, Maria Georgeta Colceag, was a music student. She stopped her music career to follow her husband, Ion Constantinescu. Ion was an engineer.

The Constantinescu family moved in 1943 to Brădetu village. Emil spent his childhood there. He had a sister, Marina, and a brother, Cristian.

From 1953 to 1956, Emil went to "Nicolae Bălcescu" High School. He finished high school in 1956. That same year, he started studying law at the University of Bucharest. He earned his law degree in 1960. He then worked as a judge for a short time.

He later decided to study geology. He studied geology from 1961 to 1966. He has a PhD in Geology from the University of Bucharest. He also has a Doctor of Sciences degree from Duke University in the US. In 1963, he married Nadia Ileana, who was also a lawyer.

Professional Career

Emil Constantinescu worked as a university teacher. He taught at the Faculty of Geology from 1966 to 1990. Since 1991, he has been a professor of Mineralogy at the University of Bucharest. He also taught at Duke University in the United States from 1991 to 1992.

He was chosen to be the vice-rector (1990–1992) and then rector (1992–1996) of the University of Bucharest. A rector is like the head of a university. He also led the National Council of Rectors from Romania.

He has written 12 books and over 60 studies about geology. These were published in important science journals. He is also an honorary member of many geological and mineralogical societies. These include groups in the United Kingdom, Germany, the US, Greece, and Japan. He is also part of the Geographical Society of France and the National Geographic Society of the USA.

He has given talks at many universities around the world. These include Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard. He has also received many awards for his scientific work. These include the Romanian Academy Award.

Political Activity (1990–1996)

After Romania's communist government fell, Emil Constantinescu became active in politics. He worked with other university teachers and thinkers. Their goal was to bring democracy back to Romania. They wanted to protect human rights and freedoms.

He was one of the people who protested against the new government. This protest lasted 42 days in Bucharest in 1990.

Emil Constantinescu with U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen in 1998.

After some violent events in June 1990, he helped start Solidaritatea Universitară (Academic Solidarity). He also helped create the Civic Alliance in 1990. This was a very important non-governmental organization.

These groups joined with other democratic parties. Together, they formed the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR) in 1991. In 1992, Constantinescu was chosen as the CDR's candidate for president. He made it to the second round of elections. He got 38% of the votes, but he lost to Ion Iliescu.

After this, the CDR chose him again as their only candidate for the 1996 presidential elections. He worked hard to make the democratic opposition stronger from 1992 to 1996.

Presidency (1996–2000)

Emil Constantinescu and Bill Clinton in Bucharest in 1997.

In 1996, Emil Constantinescu ran for president again. This time, he won! He defeated Ion Iliescu in the second round. He won by about 10% of the votes. This election was very important. It was the first time power changed peacefully in Romania after 1989.

When he became president, he stopped being a member of his political party. This is because Romania's Constitution says the president cannot be a formal member of a political party.

During his four years as president, Constantinescu faced challenges. He tried to make changes to the economy, like selling state-owned businesses. But these changes were slow and caused problems. Unemployment and poverty increased for a short time.

There were also more "Mineriads" in 1999. These were protests by miners that caused trouble. His time as president also saw political problems between the ruling parties. A bad drought in 2000 also hurt the country. At the end of his term in 2000, he decided not to run again. He said that the political system had made it too hard for him.

One of his last actions as president was to pardon Ion Coman. Coman had been involved in stopping the 1989 revolution in Timișoara.

After Being President

Emil Constantinescu meeting with Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian in 2008.

Constantinescu's time as president faced economic difficulties. However, he is remembered for stopping the Mineriads. He also helped reform the banking system. And he helped bring the first major foreign investments to Romania after 1989.

Many Romanians were disappointed that life didn't improve quickly. This led to less trust in major political parties. Emil Constantinescu announced in July 2000 that he would not seek a second term. He stepped away from politics for a while in November 2000.

However, Romania continued its foreign policy goals. These goals included joining NATO and the European Union (EU). Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Emil Constantinescu at the Gaudeamus Book Fair in 2013.

The former president returned to politics in 2002. He became the head of the People's Action party. This party later joined the National Liberal Party in 2008.

Constantinescu sometimes criticized the policies of President Traian Băsescu. He accused Băsescu of being too controlling. He supported Crin Antonescu in the 2009 presidential elections.

Today, Emil Constantinescu is still active in politics. He works with many non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These are groups that work for social or political change. He is the president of the Association of Citizenship Education. He also leads the Romanian Foundation for Democracy. And he is the founding president of the Institute for Regional Cooperation and Conflict Prevention (INCOR).

He often speaks at the Oslo Freedom Forum. In 2010, he gave them a presidential medal. He is also a member of an advisory council for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Honours and Awards

Emil Constantinescu has received many important awards and honours. These recognize his work and contributions.

From Romania

• Order of the Star of Romania, 1st Class
• The Romanian Army's Badge of Honor (2012)

From Other Countries

•  Austria: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1999)
•  Croatia: Recipient of the Grand Order of King Tomislav (2000)
•  Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (2000)
•  Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (1998)
•  Peru: Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru (1998)
•  Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (1999)
•  Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2000)
•  Slovakia: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross (2000)
•  Turkey: Order of the State of Republic of Turkey (1999)
•  Ukraine: First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (2000)
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (2000)

Electoral History

Presidential Elections

Emil Constantinescu ran for president twice. Here are his results:

See Also

In Spanish: Emil Constantinescu para niños