Tensions have emerged within Romania’s ruling coalition following disagreements over the state funerals of former president Ion Iliescu. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) announced on Wednesday, August 6, that it would suspend participation in coalition meetings, citing what it described as “public incitement to hatred” from the Save Romania Union (USR).
The dispute centers on USR’s proposal, made shortly after Ion Iliescu’s death on Tuesday, to refrain from declaring a national day of mourning. USR representatives argued this was necessary “out of respect for the victims of the 1989 Revolution and the 1990 Mineriads,” referring to the violent crackdowns that took place under Iliescu’s leadership in the early 1990s. The party also stated it would not attend the official funeral ceremonies.
In a separate reaction, USR leader Dominic Fritz said Ion Iliescu’s death was “painful not because of his passing, but because of the wounds he leaves behind.” He criticized the former president for overseeing a post-communist system that he argued continues to hinder Romania’s progress and emphasized that many victims of past abuses still await justice.
In response, PSD issued a statement on social media condemning USR’s stance, saying, “History cannot be distorted. Those who judge today will be judged tomorrow. PSD respects the institutions of the Romanian state and refuses to endorse forms of public hatred instigated by USR leaders, even in official government meetings.”
The party declared it would boycott all coalition meetings “until USR demonstrates political maturity and reconsiders its attitude.” Interim PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu added that “all political figures should show respect and decency toward the first president of democratic Romania, who led the country on its path to European and Euro-Atlantic integration.”
Ion Iliescu, Romania’s first president after the fall of communism in December 1989, died on August 5 at the age of 95. 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.
During the 1989 Revolution, Iliescu positioned himself as a political dissident and swiftly assumed leadership by forming the National Salvation Front (FSN), which took control of the country after the execution of communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife. The FSN evolved into a political party, later renamed the FDSN, PDSR, and ultimately PSD, Romania’s current Social Democratic Party.
The former president faced renewed legal scrutiny in the final years of his life. In April 2025, Ion 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.
Romania is holding two days of state funerals for former president Ion Iliescu, on Wednesday and Thursday. A national day of mourning has been declared on August 7 in his memory.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Cateyeperspective/Dreamstime.com)
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