Parliament to convene in solemn sitting to mark the 30th anniversary of Constitution

The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies convene today at 13:00hrs in a solemn sitting dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the adoption of Romania's Constitution in force, agerpres reports.

According to a memorandum approved by Parliament's leadership, the President of Romania, the prime minister and the chairman of the Constitutional Court are invited to speak at this meeting.

Speeches will be delivered also by the chairs of the two chambers and leaders of the parliamentary groups.

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On December 8, 1991, a national referendum on the adoption of the Romanian Constitution took place, which was extremely necessary after the December 1989 Revolution that ousted the communist dictatorship in the country.

The Romanian Constitution, the first since 1989, was adopted on November 21, 1991 and approved by national referendum on December 8 the same year, with a significant majority: out of the 10,948,468 participants, 77.3% voted for, 20.49% against, and null votes made up 2.3%.

The constitution adopted in 1991 represented the fundamental legislative framework for the organisation and operation of Romania on a democratic basis. It enshrined the restoration of constitutional democracy in Romania, creating the premises for the assertion of a pluralistic political regime.

The drafting, debate and adoption of the new Romanian Constitution took a year and a half to complete.

The new constitution was published in the Official Journal of Romania, Part I, no. 233 of November 21, 1991.

Four years after its adoption, on November 13, 1995, the MPs adopted a legislative proposal regarding the proclamation of the Romanian Constitution Day on December 8. On December 5, 1995, the Senate also approved it.

The constitution adopted in 1991 was amended and supplemented by Revision Law 429/2003. It passed by national referendum on October 18-19, 2003, and came into force on October 29, 2003, when the decision of the Constitutional Court no. 3 of October 22, 2003, confirming the outcome of the referendum was published in the Official Journal of Romania.