1990 Romanian general election
General elections were held in Romania on 20 May 1990 to elect the President and members of Parliament. They were the first elections held after the overthrow of the Communist regime six months earlier and the first free elections held in the country since 1937. It was also the first time the president had been directly elected, the position having been previously elected by the legislature since it was introduced in 1974.
The National Salvation Front, which had headed the interim government that took power after the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaucescu, won a decisive victory. Opposition parties performed well below expectations; none of them had the time or resources to present themselves as alternatives to the FSN. Interim President and FSN leader Ion Iliescu was elected for a full term with 85 percent of the vote. The FSN also won large majorities in both houses of Parliament, with 263 of the 395 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 91 of the 118 seats in the Senate.
The United States State Department expressed concerns about organised violence and polling irregularities, but concluded that they had had no effect on the outcome and pronounced the elections free and fair.
To date, this is the only time since direct presidential elections were introduced that a president has been elected without the need for a runoff. Iliescu's 85 percent vote share also remains the highest for a direct presidential election.
Presidential candidates
| Name | Lifespan | Public Administration Experience | Affiliation and endorsements | Alma mater and profession | Candidacy Announcement dates |
Ion Iliescu | Born: Oltenița, Călărași County | Acting President of Romania: 1989-election day President of Water Surfaces Management Council Member of the State Council President of Iași County Council Vice-President of Timiș County Council Minister of Youth Deputy | Affiliation: FSN | Energy Institute, Moscow State University fluid mechanics engineer, publishing house manager | Official: BEC filing: |
Radu Câmpeanu | Born: , Bucharest Died, Bucharest | Affiliation: PNL Endorsed by UDMR and PER | Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Bucharest economist | BEC filing: | |
Ion Rațiu | Born: , Turda, Cluj County Died:, London | Chancellor at Romanian Embassy in UK | Affiliation: PNȚ-CD Endorsed by: PSDR | Faculty of Law, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge lawyer, economist, journalist | Official: BEC filing: |