Alexandru Marghiloman and the first elections based on universal suffrage in united Romania

Abstract

In May 1914, elections were held in Romania for the Constituent National Assembly, which was supposed to amend the fundamental law in order to implement the agrarian reform and the electoral reform. Due to the outbreak of the First World War in July 1914, it was decided to postpone their debate. Romania entered the war in August 1916, and as a result of the defeats suffered, the central authorities, including the parliament, took refuge in Iași. Discussions on the reforms took place in May – June 1917, when the articles regarding property and the right to vote were amended. On this basis, the decree on electoral reform was drafted, which was published on November 16, 1918. The election campaign lasted almost a year, as the date of the elections was constantly postponed due to the internal and international situation, being finally set for November 2, 3, and 4, 1919. During that time, several parties were established in the old Kingdom, and the parties that led the union of Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Transylvania with Romania were integrated into the unified Romanian state. Each launched manifestos and programs on the basis of which they sought the voters’ votes. Alexandru Marghiloman, the president of the Conservative Party, decided to participate in the first elections based on universal suffrage organized in unified Romania. On December 3/18, 1918, the electoral manifesto presented in this study was published.