Constantinescu, Emil (1939– )

Romanian political leader, president 1996–2000. He unsuccessfully challenged Ion Iliescu for the presidency in 1992, but led the centre-right Democratic Convention of Romania (DCR) coalition to victory in the parliamentary and presidential elections in November 1996. The declared priorities of his new administration were to tackle corruption, increase the pace of privatization, and improve relations with neighbouring Hungary.

Constantinescu was born in Tighina, in modern-day Moldova, and brought up in the Carpathian Mountains, a stronghold of armed resistance against the communists after World War II. He was educated at the university of Bucharest where he later worked as a professor of geology. He was a low-ranking member of the communist party during the communist era, involved in propaganda work. Constantinescu's victory in 1996 was seen as a crucial stage in Romania's transition to democracy, which began with the ‘partial revolution’ of 1989.