Part IV

According to the Constitution and Law No. 3/2000, referendums in Romania are either national or local (county-level). Referendums are also either mandatory or optional. Mandatory national referendums are those held to amend the Constitution and to remove the President of Romania from office, while optional referendums are held on matters of national interest determined by the President of Romania. Local or county referendums are optional when held on matters of particular interest within the relevant administrative-territorial unit, and mandatory when held to modify the territorial boundaries of an administrative-territorial unit. The rules for organizing and conducting referendums are, in principle, the same as those established for elections. Referendums may be organized and conducted at any time. The results of national referendums are confirmed and made public by the Constitutional Court, which ensures compliance with referendum procedures. The results of local and county referendums are communicated by the prefects to the Ministry of Administration and the Interior, which then informs the Government. In Romania, between May 1864 and November 2007, 11 national referendums and a multitude of local referendums were organized and held.

Keywords: national and local (county) referendums, mandatory and optional referendums, specific procedural rules, common procedural rules