INSTITUłIA PREFECTULUI SI INSTITUłIA PREFECTURII ÎNTRE ANII 1918-1940
THE INSTITUTION OF THE PREFECT AND THE INSTITUTION OF PREFECT’S OFFICE BETWEEN 1918 AND 1940

Summary/Abstract: At the end of the First World War, a series of modifications aimed at achieving the juridical unification were necessary for the consolidation of the national unitary state of Romania, created at the end of 1918. These changes were necessary in order to accomplish a harmony between the political and juridical unity. While the process of creation of the national unitary state of Romania was done by the year 1920, the legislative unification lasted a longer time, in some domains it extended until the beginning of World War II. After the attainment of the Great Unification, it was recognized that in all sections of law existed parallel regulations. Ironing out these parallelisms became necessary since they were likely to hinder the process of consolidationof the new state. Consequently, the main task of legislators came to be that of the unity of regulating of the constitutional and administrative law, having in view mainly the organization of the power and state administration. Right after the completion of the national unity, four systems of administrative organization were in function in Romania. Former Romania possessed an administrative system based on the Law of local organization from 1864, with its subsequent modifications, as well as the Constitution from 1866; in Transylvania functioned a Hungarian administrative system, in Bucovina an Austrian one, and in Bessarabia a Russian one. The unification of the administrative system, either through spreading out the system of former Romania to its whole territory, or through a new form of organization, became enormously necessary. Romanian governments opted for the first solution, that is, the expansion of former Romania’s system with modifications and adaptations required by circumstances.In the administrative organization of Great Romania, regulated through the laws of 1925, 1929, and 1936, the county (prefect’s office) had a double role. It represented a decentralized administrative unit possessing legal personality and at the same time, a territorial division wherein governmental administrative services were functioning. According to the same laws, the prefect was the government’s representative in the territory. His main role was that of supervising the correct application and observance of law within his county. He was also in charge with the up keeping of order as representative of the Ministry of Inner Affairs at county level and as head of the Police and Gendarmerie. As chief of the county administration, the prefect dealt with administrative, financial, and cultural issues of the county, assisted by a whole administrative apparatus created for this task.

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