Emil Constantinescu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emil Constantinescu
Emil Constantinescu in July 1998
President of Romania
In office 29 November 1996 – 20 December 2000
Prime Minister	Victor Ciorbea Gavril Dejeu (Acting) Radu Vasile Alexandru Athanasiu (Acting) Mugur Isărescu
Preceded by	Ion Iliescu
Succeeded by	Traian Băsescu
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 83) Tighina, Ținutul Nistru, Kingdom of Romania (present day de jure Moldova, de facto Transnistrian Moldovan Republic)
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(s)	Nadia Ileana Constantinescu
Children	Dragoș Norina Boru
Profession	Professor of Geology
Religion	Eastern Orthodox
Signature

Emil Constantinescu (Romanian pronunciation: [eˈmil konstantiˈnesku]) (born 19 November 1939) is a Romanian professor and politician, who served as the President of Romania, from 1996 to 2000.

After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Constantinescu became a founding member and vice president of the Civic Alliance (AC). In addition, he also served as the acting president of the Democratic Romanian Anti-Totalitarian Forum, the first associative structure of the democratic opposition in post-1989 Romania, which was later transformed into a centre-right political and electoral alliance known as the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR).

Biography

Professional career

After the presidency

Emil Constantinescu and Bill Clinton in Bucharest during the American President's 1997 visit to the Romanian capital.

Constantinescu's presidency along with CDR's governance were marred by an economic recession. Despite this, his presidency has been eventually credited with putting an end to the Mineriads, a reform of the banking system as well as with the attraction of the first major foreign investments in Romania after 1989. With dashed expectations of an immediate improvement in daily life, Romanians exhibited strong disillusionment with the major parties and politicians of the CDR at the end of the 1996–2000 legislature, with the Greater Romania Party (PRM) subsequently gaining the second place in the 2000 legislative election.

A disenchanted Emil Constantinescu, who lost popularity and had failed to fulfil his reformist agenda announced on 17 July 2000 that he would not run for a second term. He temporarily withdrew from political life at the end of his term in November 2000. Constantinescu's direction in foreign affairs continued however after the comeback of Ion Iliescu in 2000. Eventually, Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union (EU) three years later, in 2007, alongside Bulgaria.

The former president returned to the political scene in 2002 as head of the People's Action (AP; Acţiunea Populară) party, which subsequently merged within the National Liberal Party (PNL) in 2008.

Constantinescu has occasionally criticized the policies of the 2004–2014 president, Traian Băsescu, accusing him of authoritarian tendencies, and supported Crin Antonescu in the first round of the 2009 presidential elections.

Nowadays, he still remains heavily involved in politics through working for many NGOs, both in Romania and internationally. Emil Constantinescu is the current president of the Association of Citizenship Education, of the Romanian Foundation for Democracy and also the founding president of the Institute for Regional Cooperation and Conflict Prevention (INCOR).

A frequent speaker at the Oslo Freedom Forum, in 2010 he presented the OFF with a presidential medal. He is also a member of the international advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Honours and awards

National honours

•  Romania:
  • Order of the Star of Romania, 1st Class
  • Emblema de Onoare a Armatei României ("The Romanian Army's Badge of Honor") – 24 October 2012

Foreign honours

•  Finland: Order of the White Rose of Finland (1998)
•  Austria: Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic (1999)
•  Norway: Order of St. Olav (1999)
•  Turkey: Order of the State of Republic of Turkey (1999)
•  Denmark: Order of the Elephant (2000)
•  Slovakia: Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the Order of the White Double Cross (2000)
•  Croatia: Grand Order of King Tomislav (2000)
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Knight of the Order of St Michael and St George (2000)
•  Portugal: Order of Prince Henry (2000)
•  Ukraine: Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (2000)

Electoral history

Presidential elections

See also

In Spanish: Emil Constantinescu para niños