Parliament of Romania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parliament of RomaniaParlamentul României |
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| LV Legislature | |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senatul Camera Deputaților |
| History | |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Leadership | |
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Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, ALDE
Since 10 March 2014 |
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| Structure | |
| Seats | 136 Senators 329 Deputies |
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Senate political groups
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Government (81)
Opposition (55)
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Chamber of Deputies political groups
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Government (158)
Opposition (156)
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| Senate committees |
15
- The Committee for legal affairs, appointments, discipline, immunities and validations;
– Committee on Budget, finance, banking and capital market; – The commission for economy, industry and services; Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development; – The Committee on Foreign Affairs; Committee on public administration, the territory and environmental protection; – The Commission for defense, public order and national security; – Commission for work, family and social protection; Committee for Education, Science, Youth and Sports; – Committee on Public Health; Committee for culture, art and media information in the table; – Commission on Human Rights, religious and minority; The Committee on Equal Opportunities; – Commission for privatization and management of state assets; – Committee on research abuses, corruption and petitions; |
| Chamber of Deputies committees |
14
- Committee for Economic Policy, Reform, and Privatization;
– Committee for Budget, Finance, and, Banks, Committee for Industries and Services, Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, Food Industry and Specific Services; – Committee for Human Rights, Cults and National Minorities Issues; – Committee for Public Administration Territorial Planning and Ecological Balance; – Committee for Labour and Social Protection, Committee for Health and Family; – Committee for Education, Science, Youth, and Sport; Committee for Culture, Arts, Mass Information Means; – Committee for Legal Matters, Discipline, and Immunities; – Committee for Defense Public Order, and National Security; – Committee for Foreign Policy; – Committee for the Investigation of Abuses, Corrupt Practices, and for Petitions; – Committee for Standing Orders; – Committee for information technologies and communications; – Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men |
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Joint committees
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Standing Committees
- The Committee on European Affairs;
– The former Committee for European Integration; – The Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the exercise of parliamentary control over the activity of the Romanian Intelligent Service; – The Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the exercise of parliamentary control over the activity of the Foreign Intelligent Service; – The Parliamentary Committee for the control of the implementation of the Law no.42/1990 for honoring the martyr heroes and granting rights to their successors, to the persons wounded in, and to the fighters for the victory of the Revolution of December 1990; – The Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the statute of the Senator and Deputy, and organizing and functioning of the joint sessions of the Chambers; – The Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the relation with UNESCO Special committees
- The Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the elaboration of the legislative proposal regarding the election of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, of the President of Romania, of the authorities of the public local administration, financing of the elections campaign, and the election of the members of the European Parliament;
– The Joint Special Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for the control of the budget execution of the Court of Accounts during the year 2003; – The Joint Special Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate for establishing the antenna times for the election of the Romanian Members of the European Parliament; – The Joint Special Standing Committee of Parliament for the antenna times for the national referendum regarding the introduction of the uninominal election of the members of the Parliament of Romania Inquiry committees
- The parliamentary inquiry committee for investigations and clarifying the status of the bank accounts of Nicolae Ceaușescu;
– The parliamentary inquiry committee for investigations and clarifying the activity of ICE Dunărea; – The parliamentary inquiry committee for investigations regarding interception of communications; – The parliamentary inquiry committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate regarding the Bordei Park; – The parliamentary inquiry committee for investigations and clarifying the spending way of the money obtained as a 2% quota from the privatization value, destined to the building of social housing, as established by the article 44, 2nd paragraph of the Law 10/2001 regarding the judiciary regime of the buildings abusively acquired by the state in the period 6 March 1945 – 22 December 1989, republished |
| Elections | |
| 1992 – 2008, 2016 - present: Closed list, D'Hondt method 2008 - 2016: Mixed member proportional representation |
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Chamber of Deputies voting system
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1992 – 2008, 2016 - present: Closed list, D'Hondt method 2008 - 2016: Mixed member proportional representation |
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Senate last election
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December 11, 2016 |
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Chamber of Deputies last election
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December 11, 2016 |
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Senate next election
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2020 |
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Chamber of Deputies next election
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2020 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest, Romania | |
| Website | |
| http://www.parlament.ro/ | |
The Parliament of Romania (Parlamentul României) is the main law-making body of Romania. It is made up of two separate parts: the Chamber of Deputies (Camera Deputaților) and the Senate (Senat). Both parts meet in the impressive Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest.
Contents
Romania's Parliament: How It Works
Romania's Parliament is a bicameral legislature. This means it has two "chambers" or "houses." Think of it like a two-story building where each floor has a special job. Before 2003, both houses had the exact same powers. A new law had to be approved by both of them in the same way.
Making New Laws
Today, both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate still need to approve new laws. However, each house now has certain topics it gets to discuss first. This is called being the "deciding chamber" (cameră decizională).
- If the first house (the deciding chamber) approves a proposed law, it then goes to the other house.
- The second house can either approve the law or suggest changes.
- If the second house makes changes, the law is sent back to the first house (the deciding chamber). The decision of the first house on these changes is final.
A Look at the Two Houses
The Parliament has two main parts:
- The Senate: This house has 136 members called Senators.
- The Chamber of Deputies: This house has 329 members called Deputies.
Together, these members represent the people of Romania and work to create laws that help the country.
What Are Parliamentary Committees?
Both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies have special groups called committees. These committees are like smaller teams that focus on specific topics. For example, there are committees for:
- Law and justice
- Money and banking
- Education and health
- Foreign affairs
These committees carefully study proposed laws and issues related to their topic before the full house votes on them. This helps make sure laws are well-thought-out.
Voting for Parliament Members
The way people vote for members of Parliament has changed over time.
- From 1992 to 2008, and again from 2016 until now, Romania uses a system where voters choose from party lists.
- Between 2008 and 2016, a different system was used, which mixed different ways of voting.
The last elections for both houses were held on December 11, 2016. The next elections are expected in 2020.
The Parliament's Home
The Parliament meets in the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest. This is one of the largest buildings in the world! It's where all the important discussions and decisions about Romania's future take place.
Referendum on Parliament Size
In 2009, people in Romania voted in a special election called a referendum. They were asked if they wanted to change the Parliament to have only one house instead of two, and to reduce the number of representatives to 300. Even though most people voted "yes," the results of this referendum were not legally binding. To actually make these changes, another referendum specifically about changing the Constitution would be needed.
See also
