Party Membership in Romania: Political Legitimacy, Party Finance and Organisational Changes

Abstract

The article retraces the contradictions between the regulations and the practices shaping Romanian party membership in order to show why and how membership decline became an electoral-driven strategy. It contrasts high membership figures, the dynamics of legal definitions of party membership, and party routines. The results indicate that the Romanian example is an atypical case of incongruence between organisational configurations and party models of ‘constitutionalisation’. The frailty of party organisations in this post-communist country depends not only on the broken linkages between state and society but also on exogenous factors, such as the anti-corruption campaign and opportunistic intraparty agreements. The study uses a qualitative content analysis of party laws, party statutes, official statements, and desk research.