Great National Assembly

Great National Assembly
Marea Adunare Naţională
Communist Romania (1948-1989)
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
History
Established 1948
Disbanded 1989
Preceded by Romanian: Reprezentanţa Naţionalǎ1 (Adunarea Deputaţilor2)
Succeeded by Parliament of Romania (Chamber of Deputies and the Senate)
Seats 369
Elections
open single party list
Meeting place
Palatul Adunǎrii Deputaţilor
Footnotes
1the name under which the Parliament of Romania was defined by the 1866 and 1923 Constitutions;
2after World War II the Constitution of 1923 was reestablished; due to the communist occupation of the country the Senate was suspended;

The Great National Assembly (Romanian: Marea Adunare Naţională; MAN) was the legislature of the Socialist Republic of Romania (known as the Romanian People's Republic before 1965). After the overthrow of Communism in Romania in December 1989, the National Assembly was replaced by a bicameral parliament, made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

The Great National Assembly was elected every four years and each of its members represented 60,000 citizens. Like all other Communist legislatures, it was nominally vested with great lawmaking powers, but in practice served as a rubber stamp which helped perpetuate the illusion of democracy.[1]

Powers

The MAN had the power to, among other things, amend the constitution and appoint and depose the Supreme Commander of the Romanian Army. The resolutions required a simple majority to be passed through.[1]

The Assembly convened twice a year for ordinary sessions and for extraordinary sessions as many times as required by the State Council or by at least one third of the members of the Assembly. It elected its own chairmen and four deputies to preside each session.[1] On paper, it was the highest level of state power in Romania, and all other state organs were subordinate to it. In practice, like all other Communist legislatures, it did little more than give legal sanction to decisions already made by the Romanian Communist Party.

Formally, the MAN gained in power over time. The 1948 Constitution (article 39) granted it just eight powers;[2] the 1952 Constitution (article 24), 10;[3] the 1965 Constitution (article 43), 24.[1]

Voters were presented with a single slate of candidates from an alliance dominated by the PCR—known as the People's Democratic Front from 1947 to 1968, the Socialist Unity Front from 1968 to 1980, and the Front of Socialist Unity and Democracy from 1980 to 1989. Since no one could run for office without Front approval, the Front—and through it, the PCR—effectively predetermined the composition of the Assembly.[4]

When the Assembly was not in session, some of its powers were exercised by the State Council (which was legally defined as the MAN in permanent session), such as setting guidelines for the law and supervising the local councils. It could also issue governmental regulations in lieu of law. If such regulation was not approved by the MAN at its next session, it was considered revoked. However, under the principles of democratic centralism, such approval was merely a formality. Combined with the MAN's infrequent sessions, this meant that State Council decisions de facto had the force of law. In emergencies, the State Council assumed the Assembly's powers to control the budget and economic plan, appoint and dismiss ministers and justices of the Supreme Court, mobilize the armed forces and declare war.

1980 elections

According to the official results of the March 9, 1980, election, which elected 369 deputies, 99.99% of the registered voters cast their votes. Of them, 98.52% approved the Front list, 1.48% voted against and just 44 votes were declared invalid.[1]

192 seats of the Assembly were occupied by women and 47 seats belonged to national minorities (mainly Hungarians and Germans).[1]

Presidents of the Great National Assembly

The numbering continues from the old Assembly of Deputies presidents.

No.
lower
house
No. Name Portrait Born–Died Took office Left office Party
Great National Assembly
1948–1989
41 1 Gheorghe Apostol 1913–2010 7 April 1948 11 June 1948 PMR
42 2 Constantin Agiu 1891–1961 11 June 1948 27 December 1948 PMR
43 3 Constantin Pârvulescu 1895–1992 27 December 1948 5 July 1949 PMR
44 4 Dumitru Petrescu 1906–1969 5 July 1949 28 December 1949 PMR
45 5 Alexandru Drǎghici 1913–1993 28 December 1949 26 January 1950 PMR
(44) (4) Dumitru Petrescu 1906–1969 26 January 1950 29 May 1950 PMR
46 6 Constantin Doncea 1904–1973 29 May 1950 6 September 1950 PMR
(41) (1) Gheorghe Apostol 1913–2010 6 September 1950 5 April 1951 PMR
47 7 Ion Vincze 1910–1996 5 April 1951 26 March 1952 PMR
(41) (1) Gheorghe Apostol 1913–2010 26 March 1952 6 June 1952 PMR
48 8 Gheorghe Stoica 1900–1976 2 June 1952 30 November 1952 PMR
(43) (3) Constantin Pârvulescu 1895–1992 23 January 1953 5 March 1961 PMR
49 9 Ştefan Voitec 1900–1984 20 March 1961 28 March 1974 PMR/PCR
50 10 Miron Constantinescu 1917–1974 28 March 1974 18 July 1974 PCR
51 11 Nicolae Giosan 1921–1990 26 July 1974 12 December 1989 PCR

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Richard Staar, Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe (4th revised edition, 1984), Hoover Institution, Stanford University. pg. 193-194
  2. 1948 Constitution of Romania
  3. 1952 Constitution of Romania
  4. Sergiu Verona. "Government and Politics".  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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