mbers of the party Executive Committee;
the chairmen of the Council of State Security and the State Committee
for Local Economy and Administration were alternate members of the
Executive Committee, as was the head of the Ministry of the Armed
Forces. The chairmen of the State Planning Committee and the Council of
State Security and the ministers of internal affairs and the armed
forces also were members of the Defense Council.

The Judicial System

The general organization and functioning of the judiciary is established
by the Constitution and by the 1968 Law on the Organization of the Court
System. Overall responsibility for the functioning of the courts is
vested in the Ministry of Justice, whereas the prosecutor general
(attorney general) is charged with the general application of the law
and the executing of criminal proceedings.

To fulfill its responsibility for the functioning of the courts and the
supervision of state marshals, state notaries, and the national bar
organization, the Ministry of Justice is divided into six directorates:
civil courts, military courts, studies and legislation, personnel,
administration, and planning and accounting. In addition, the ministry
includes a corps of inspectors, an office of legal affairs, the State
Notary Office, and a lawyer and legal expert service.

The court system includes the Supreme Court, _judet_ courts, lower
courts, military courts, and local judicial commissions. The
Constitution places the judiciary under the authority of the Grand
National Assembly; and between assembly sessions, under the authority of
the Council of State. The Supreme Court, seated in Bucharest, exercises
general control over the judiciary activities of all lower courts.

Members of the Supreme Court are professional judges appointed by the
Grand National Assembly to four-year terms of office. The Supreme Court
functions as an appeals court for sentences pronounced in lower
tribunals and, in certain matters specified by law, may act as a court
of first instance. It may also issue guidance, in the form of
directives, on legal and constitutional questions for the judicial
actions of lower courts and the administrative functions of government
agencies. To fulfill its responsibilities, the Supreme Court is divided
into three sections: civil, criminal, and military. Each of these
sections is presided over by a panel of three judges, and plenary
sessions of the entire court are held at leas