Venice Commission standards and the Romanian party system: imperative mandate and majoritarian tyranny

Since its founding in 1990, the Venice Commission has advised post-communist states, including Romania, on constitutional reforms. Although Romaniawas not a full member initially, it received guidance during the drafting of its firstdemocratic constitution. This research examines how well Romanian legislationaligns with the Commission’s standards on democratic governance and politicalparty regulation, identifying any gaps or inconsistencies. Given Romania’stotalitarian past, special focus is placed on protecting political opposition, freedomof expression within parties, and the limits of imperative mandates. The study useslegal analysis, case studies on political controversies and Constitutional Courtdecisions, and reviews from think tanks—especially following the 2015 politicalparty law reform. It concludes by proposing legislative directions to better alignRomania with European democratic norms.