33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

ROMANIA Produced by the University of Seville (Universitad de Sevilla) 3 Political Situation Romanians had been living for 24 years under a dictatorial communist regime lead by Ceausescu, until its collapse in 1989. Ceausescu, whose regime was based on repressive rule and personality cult at home, was executed during the uprising against his government. After this period, an economic and political reform programme started to be conceived. A constitution that was approved by the Romanian Parliament at the end of 1991 was drafted. This document established a bicameral parliament consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. 8 Currently, the president (post occupied by Klaus Werner since 2014) is the head of state and is elected by popular vote for a four-year term. The 1991 constitution established also a multiparty system. Sixteen main parties are represented in the government. These parties are composed of ex-communists, democrats, and groups representing the interests of ethnic minorities. After the corrupt and often brutal policies of Ceaucescu and other leaders, the people are wary of government officials in general. 9 Regarding the economy, Romania, which joined the EU in 2007, began the transition from communism in 1989 with an inefficient pattern of outputs and an obsolete industry. Romania's macroeconomic gains have only recently started to spur creation of a middle class and to address Romania's widespread poverty. Corruption and red tape continue to permeate the business environment. Economic growth rebounded in the 2013-16 period, driven by strong industrial exports and excellent agricultural harvests. 10 Cultural Traditions Each geographic region in Romania has its own culture. The Hungarian, German, and Roma minorities maintain their own traditions reflected in their folk arts, cuisine, and dress. 11 Romanians’ lives are generally guided by the religious traditions to which they adhere. Eastern Orthodoxy followers (mostly ethnic Romanians) participate in ceremonies during thw Holy Week and at Easter. Roman Catholic and Protestant churches adepts (Hungarians and Germans) put a greater emphasis on the celebration of Christmas. The Hungarian and German traditional dress is only worn on special occasions while the folk costume of ethnic Romanians has been retained in the rural areas. The overall standard of living is low compared to that of Western Europe. In the cities, most of people wear Western-style clothing. In rural areas, as mentioned above, some people still wear the traditional ‘ garb ’, namely wool skirts and embroided vests for women and white blouses, pants cinched with a belt and a cap or hat for men. Throughout the country, mostly Roma women are still wearing long flowing colourful 8 https://www.britannica.com/place/Romania 9 http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Romania.html 10 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/#ro 11 http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Romania.html