Romania is holding two days of state funerals for former president Ion Iliescu, the country’s first elected head of state after the fall of communism in December 1989. A national day of mourning has been declared on August 7 in his memory, according to a decision adopted by the government.
Ion Iliescu died on Tuesday, August 5, in the hospital where he was admitted roughly two months ago with lung cancer.
On Wednesday, August 6, the casket with Ion Iliescu’s body was transported from Agrippa Ionescu Hospital to the Cotroceni Palace, the seat of the presidency, with military honors provided by the 30th Guard Brigade “Mihai Viteazul.” The coffin was placed on public display in the Unirii Hall at Cotroceni, where high-ranking officials are expected to present their condolences during the morning.
Members of the public are allowed to pay their respects between 13:00 and 18:00. Strict security and ceremonial rules are being enforced, including a ban on photography, video recording, and access for children under 14.
A final religious ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday evening, followed by a military guard vigil overnight.
On Thursday, August 7, the national day of mourning, public institutions and authorities across the country and abroad will fly the Romanian flag at half-mast. Flags will also be lowered at political parties, unions, cultural institutions, and ports, as well as on all Romanian-flagged vessels. Cultural institutions and broadcasters are set to adjust their programming to reflect the solemnity of the occasion.
A final funeral ceremony will be held at Cotroceni in the presence of dignitaries and military guards. After a moment of silence, the coffin will be carried out of the palace to the tolling of the Cotroceni Church bell. The funeral procession will proceed to Cotroceni Church, where a religious service will be held.
The casket will be later transported to Ghencea Military Cemetery III, accompanied by a military escort. The burial ceremony will be held in the presence of family members and close associates, concluding the two-day state funeral for one of Romania’s most significant political figures of the post-communist era.
It will be the first time in post-communist Romania that a state funeral is held for a former head of state. So far, only one special funeral event dedicated to a former leader has taken place in the country after the fall of communism – in 2017, after the death of King Michael I, when the funeral followed a strict protocol established by the Romanian Royal House.
Ion Iliescu served as president for three terms: 1990–1992, 1992–1996, and 2000–2004. He played a pivotal and controversial role in the country’s transition from communism to democracy following the 1989 Revolution. During his first term, Romania adopted a new constitution (in 1991) and laid the foundation for democratic institutions and political and economic reforms.
His legacy is closely tied to both the Romanian Revolution of December 1989 and the violent “Mineriads” of the early 1990s, when miners were called to Bucharest to suppress anti-government protests, resulting in deaths, injuries, and political turmoil.
The former president faced renewed legal scrutiny in the final years of his life. In April 2025, Iliescu, along with former officials Petre Roman, Gelu Voican Voiculescu, and Miron Cozma, was indicted for crimes against humanity related to the June 1990 Mineriad. Prosecutors alleged Iliescu orchestrated political repression in Bucharest, where four people were killed, hundreds injured, and more than 1,200 unlawfully detained.
In the separate “1989 Revolution” case, the former president was accused of deceiving the public through disinformation campaigns coordinated with military leadership between December 22 and 30, 1989. In September 2024, Romania’s High Court sent that case back to military prosecutors, citing procedural delays.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea)
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