ABSTRACT
The Romanian Communist Party (RCP) prides itself on the faithful reflection of the country's ethnic structure in the rank and file membership. The RCP operates on the principle of democratic centralism, but has added a special twist to this concept, due to the extreme centralization and personalization of power in the hands of the so-called "clan" of Ceausescus, Petrescus and associated other individuals. Democratic centralism also involves the upward flow of personnel, according to established bureaucratic principles, and implemented through these principles as well as cooptation of individuals and categories beyond the established procedures. The 1984 statutes represent both an innovation and expansion of the operational ethos of the RCP. In comparison to the other communist parties of Eastern Europe, the RCP is more centralized and hierarchical than any other. The rapid turnover of party leaders at all levels of the RCP hierarchy reflects a certain leadership style that we may label "organizational Ceausescuism".
