General elections were held in Romania on 27 September 1992, with a second round of the presidential election on 11 October. They were the first held after the adoption of a permanent constitution via a referendum held the previous winter.
Incumbent President Ion Iliescu led the field in the first round, but was forced into a run off with Emil Constantinescu, candidate of the oppositional Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR). Constantinescu ran on a quicker transition to a market economy and purging remaining communist influence from the government. He benefited from a marked downturn in Iliescu's popularity tied to both high unemployment and concerns that Iliescu was wavering in his commitment to democracy.
Despite this, opinion polls ahead of the runoff suggested that Iliescu was favoured for a second full term. Not only was it believed that his 16-point first-round lead was too large for Constantinescu to overcome, but most of the minor candidates were expected to eventually offer their support to Iliescu in the second round. In the end, Iliescu was reelected with 61 percent of the vote. The 1992 Romanian presidential election was the second of its kind held in post-1989 Romania.
In the parliamentary election, Iliescu's Democratic National Salvation Front (FDSN), which had split off from the National Salvation Front (FSN) earlier in the year, emerged as the largest party in Parliament, winning 117 of the 341 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 49 of the 143 seats in the Senate.
Presidential candidates
Participating candidates
<section begin="candidates" />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Name
! Lifespan
! class="unsortable" | Public Administration Experience
! Affiliation and endorsements
! class="unsortable" | Alma mater and profession
! Candidacy <br />
|-
|x160px<br />Ion Iliescu
|Born: <br />(age )<br />Oltenița, Călărași County
|President of Romania (1989–election day)<br />President of Water Surfaces Management Council (1979–1984)<br />Member of the State Council (full member: 1979–1980, observative: 1974–1979)<br />President of Iași County Council (1974–1979)<br />Vice-President of Timiș County Council (1971–1974)<br />Minister of Youth (1967–1971)<br />Deputy (1957–1961, 1965–1973, 1975–1985)<br /><small>Former presidential election:<br />1990: 85.1% (winner)</small>
|Affiliation: FDSN
|Energy Institute, Moscow State University (1954)<br /><br />fluid mechanics engineer,<br />publishing house manager
|
|-
|x160px<br />Emil Constantinescu
|Born: <br />(age )<br />Tighina (today: de jure, Republic of Moldova; de facto Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic)
|Rector of University of Bucharest (1992–election day)
|Affiliation: CDR
|Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest (1960)<br />Faculty of Geology, University of Bucharest (1966)<br /><br />geology professor
|
|-
|x160px<br />Gheorghe Funar
|Born: <br />(age )<br />Sânnicolau Mare, Timiș County
|Mayor of Cluj-Napoca (1992–election day)
|Affiliation: PUNR
|Faculty of Economics and Business Management, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca<br /><br />economist
|
|-
|x160px<br />Caius Traian Dragomir
|Born: <br />(age )<br />Slatina, Olt County
|State Secretary for Public Information with the Government of Romania (1991–election day)
|Affiliation: none<br />Endorsed by: FSN
|Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest (1963)<br /><br />physicist<br />poet
|
|-
|x160px<br />Mircea Druc
|Born: <br />(age )<br />Pociumbăuți, Rîșcani District, Republic of Moldova
|Prime Minister of the Moldavian SSR (1990–1991)
|Affiliation: none<br />Endorsed by: MER
|Faculty of History and Philology, Moldova State University, Chișinău (1960)<br />Faculty of Philology, Saint Petersburg State University (1964)<br /><br />administrative sciences professor
|
|-
|x160px<br />Ioan Mânzatu
|Born: <br />(age )<br />Bobâlna, Cluj County
|Vice-President of Romania (1990)
|Affiliation: Republican Party
|Faculty of Physics, Babeș-Bolyai University<br /><br />physics professor
|
|}<section end="candidates" />
Withdrawn candidates
<section begin="withdrawn" />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Name
! Lifespan
! class="unsortable" | Public Administration Experience
! Affiliation and endorsements
! class="unsortable" | Alma mater and profession
! Candidacy <br />
|-
|x160px<br />Ioan Lup
|
|
|Affiliation: PNȚCD
|
|Intention: <br />Withdrawal: <br />Endorsed Emil Constantinescu:
|}<section end="withdrawn" />
Results
President
Presidential election - First round|thumb|270px
Presidential election - Second round|thumb|270px
thumb|right|[[Ion Iliescu's first round vote share by county]]
thumb|right|[[Emil Constantinescu's first round vote share by county]]
thumb|right|[[Gheorghe Funar's first round vote share by county]]
Gheorghe Funar and Ioan Mânzatu openly endorsed Ion Iliescu in the second round.