Social Democratic Party
Partidul Social Democrat |
|
---|---|
Abbreviation | PSD |
President | Liviu Dragnea |
Secretary-General | Marian Neacșu |
Executive President | Niculae Bădălău |
Honorary President | Ion Iliescu |
Leader in the Senate | Mihai Fifor |
Leader in the Chamber of Deputies | Eugen Nicolicea |
Leader in the European Parliament | Viorica Dăncilă |
Founded | 17 January 1990 (PSDR) 6 February 1990 (FSN) 1992 (FDSN) 1993 (PDSR) 16 June 2001 (as PSD) |
Merger of | PDSR PSDR |
Preceded by | PDSR |
Headquarters | Șos. Kiseleff nr. 10 Bucharest |
Youth wing | TSD |
Women's wing | OFSD |
Membership (2014) | 509,000 |
Ideology | Social democracy |
Political position | Centre-left |
European affiliation | Party of European Socialists |
International affiliation |
Progressive Alliance Socialist International |
European Parliament group | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats |
Colors | Red |
Chamber of Deputies |
154 / 329
|
Senate |
67 / 136
|
European Parliament |
14 / 32
|
Mayors |
1,708 / 3,186
|
County Councilors |
638 / 1,434
|
Local Council Councilors |
16,969 / 40,067
|
Website | |
psd |
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The Social Democratic Party (Romanian: Partidul Social Democrat, PSD) is the major social-democraticpolitical party in Romania. The largest party in Parliament with initially 63 seats in the Senate and 158 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, it also has the largest number of mayors, local and county councilors and county presidents thus being the biggest and most influential political force in the country. PSD traces its origins to the Democratic National Salvation Front, a breakaway group established in 1992 from the post-communist National Salvation Front. In 1993 this merged with three other parties to become the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR). The present name was adopted after a merger with the smaller Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR) in 2001. Since its formation, it has always been one of the two dominant parties of the country. The PDSR governed Romania from 1992 to 1996, while the PSDR was a junior coalition partner between 1996 and 2000. The merged PSD was the senior party in the coalitions governing from 2000 to 2004, and from March 2014 to November 2015, as well as one of the main coalition partners between December 2008 and October 2009 (with the Democratic Liberal Party) and again between May 2012 and March 2014 (as part of the Social Liberal Union). The party left government after Prime Minister Victor Ponta resigned in November 2015. The founder of the party, Ion Iliescu, became President of the Republic, in office from the end of Communism in 1989 to 1996, and again from 2000 to 2004.
The current president of the PSD is Liviu Dragnea, elected as leader after the former Prime Minister of Romania Victor Ponta stepped down on 12 July 2015, following unresolved charges of corruption but mainly because some pending health problems. On 22 April 2016, Liviu Dragnea was found guilty for vote rigging in the 2012 referendum and received a two-year suspended sentence. Dragnea's electoral rights and party membership were not suspended, thus he refused to step down as President of the PSD, having the support of almost the entire party.