Overview

• Iliescu died on August 5 in a Bucharest hospital at age 95 after a critical battle with lung cancer.
• The government extended its condolences and the Social Democratic Party described his passing as “a very sad day,” with national mourning set for August 7.
• He led the National Salvation Front into power after the December 1989 uprising and won Romania’s first democratic presidential election in May 1990.
• During his final term he secured Romania’s accession to NATO in 2004 and oversaw its entry into the European Union in 2007.
• He faced ongoing investigations for crimes against humanity related to the 1989 revolution and a 1990 miners’ crackdown but was never convicted.