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BBC News in Bucharest
Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty ImagesIon Iliescu, a figure whose name is intertwined with the tumultuous birth of modern Romania, died at the age of 95.
The career politician, who formed the country’s transition from communism to democracy, was both a bell of hope and a deep separation presence in Romanian politics.
His death on August 5 marks the end of life spent in the heart of some of Romania’s most dramatic and controversial moments.
“In order to understand Iliescu, you need to understand the complexity of the 1990s,” says political analyst Theodore Tita.
“He was neither an ordinary hero nor a direct villain. He embodies the contradictions of a country that struggles to rediscover as he is persecuted by his past.”
Iliescu rose to the famousness of the chaos of the revolution in December 1989, when the depressive rule of Nicolae Ceausescu reached a sharp and violent end.
Initially welcomed as the man who will bring Romania to a new democratic era, Iliescu’s legacy soon became more complicated.
His leadership directed the nation during his fragile early years of democracy and on possible integration with NATO and the European Union, achievements that deserve greatly for his stable hand.
Yet, as Theodore Tita explains: “His Presidency was also marked by moments that still marked the collective memory of Romania – the suppression of protests in 1990, the violent minors and his obvious reluctance to break completely with the old communist structures. These events have left a shadow that lingres.”
Georges Merilon/Gamma Rafo via Getty ImagesBorn on March 3, 1930 in the Danube city of Altenita, Ilietsu studied engineering in Moscow, Russia, during the Stalin era, where he became active in Romanian student political circles.
His time in the Soviet Union will later feed speculation-there has never been proven-there are relationships with high-ranking communist figures, including Mikhail Gorbachev.
Upon his return to Romania, Ilietsu rose quickly to the Communist Party, occupying positions in propaganda and youth policy.
But in the end, his reform slopes turned him into a target for Tsausescu, which margines him from the upper ranks of the party. Until the 1980s, Iliescu was out of politics and worked as a director at the government-related academic publishing house.
His re-appearance during the 1989 revolution, which lasted from December 16-25 and saw more than 1,000 people killed, as some as opportunistic, but for others, it is a stabilizing presence against the background of chaos.
As the leader of the National Salvation Front (FSN), a political organization that was formed during the Revolution, I have become temporarily acting President of Romania and leads the rapid dismantling of the Ceusescu regime.
At Christmas, Nikolae Ceausescu and his wife were executed by dismissing a squad after a test at a military base lasted for two hours.
In 1990, he won the first democratic elections in Romania for more than 50 years with a striking 85% of the vote. But the campaign was marred by misinformation and propaganda against liberal rivals.
Later that year, Iliescu faced growing protests by students and supporters of the opposition. Now his notorious call for miners to descend into the capital to “restore the order” led to days of brutally street violence known as the Miherids, during which dozens were injured and several killed.
He served another full term after winning the 1992 election, after which he returned for a final presidency between 2000 and 2004.
The turbulent years followed the revolution. Deeply rooted and insidious influential figures dating from the Communist era have continued and the presidency of Oziju was marked by widespread corruption.
Critics claim that his reluctance to fully reform the justice system or to face the inheritance of the Securita – the concerned secret police – allowed the culture of impunity to root.
For more than three decades of the Revolution, Romania is still struggling with political corruption and remains one of the most overwhelming and corrupt members of the European Union – a reality that some are tracing to Ilisc’s management.
His shorter years in the office have made progress in Western Integration of Romania – including NATO membership and closing conversations for EU accession. There were also market reforms that allow the small business to open and Romania adopted its first democratic constitution in 1991, which still formed the country to this day.
But I have been accepted by questions about his role in the bloodshed from the early 1990s.
In 2017, he was officially accused of crimes against humanity in connection with both the 1989 revolution and the Miners of 1990. Law proceedings have been dragged for years without resolution.
After withdrawing, Iliescu remains a respected figure within the Social Democratic Party (PSD), was eventually declared an honorary president.
He has largely withdrawn from public life in his late years, but occasionally publishes a political commentary on his personal blog. His final entry, in May 2025, congratulated President Niksor Dan for his election victory.
Ion Iliscus built the democracy of Romania, says Theodore Tita, but he was also a “ruthless politician who was not afraid to incite violent conflicts between the competitive parts of society.”
“As a politician, she was ruthless, skillful and always with a look at history.”