m the 1965 Constitution. All of the
sixteen regional units were subsequently eliminated by a territorial
reorganization of 1968, at which time a system of _judete_ (counties)
was established.

All power is ascribed to the people and exercised by their
representatives in the people's councils and the Grand National
Assembly. The Communist Party is described as the country's leading
political force under whose leadership the working people have the
expressed goal of building the socialist system to create "the
conditions for transition to communism."

THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF THE GOVERNMENT

The Central Government

According to the 1965 Constitution the major institutions of the central
government are the Grand National Assembly, the Council of State, and
the Council of Ministers (see fig. 1). Although the Constitution
declares the Grand National Assembly and the Council of State to be the
supreme organs of state power, in practice the authority of both of
these organs ranks after that of the PCR. The Constitution itself states
unequivocally that "the leading political force of the whole society is
the Romanian Communist Party." The basic national policy decisions are
made in the ruling bodies of the party and subsequently communicated to
the government for adoption and implementation.

[Illustration: _Figure 7. Structure of the Government of Romania,
1971._]

The Grand National Assembly

The Grand National Assembly, which supervises and controls the functions
of all other state organs, consists of 465 deputies elected from an
equal number of electoral districts for a four-year term of office. In
the event of exceptional circumstances that prevent the holding of
elections, however, the assembly is empowered to prolong its term of
office for the duration of these circumstances. Regular assembly
sessions are held twice yearly, and special sessions may be convened on
the initiative of the Council of State or on demand of one-third of the
total number of deputies.

Constitutionally, the Grand National Assembly is empowered to elect,
supervise, and recall the members of the Council of State, the Council
of Ministers, and the Supreme Court. It is also empowered to name the
prosecutor general and control the activity of his office. It is given
ultimate authority in the regulation of the electoral system, the
national economic plan, the state budget, and the organization and
functioning of the people's co