Ion Iliescu passed away on August 5, 2025. The"Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu" Emergency Clinical Hospital officially announces the death of Ion Iliescu, which occurred on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at 3:55 p.m.

UPDATE Ion Iliescu will be buried on Thursday in Ghencea 3 Cemetery

On Wednesday and Thursday, August 6 and 7, 2025, state funerals will be held in honor of the former president of Romania, Ion Iliescu, the Government announced after Tuesday evening's meeting. 

The coffin with his body will be deposited on August 6 at Cotroceni Palace, and on August 7 he will be buried at Ghencea 3 Cemetery.

The burial ceremony of former Romanian President Ion Iliescu will take place only in the presence of family and close friends.

Thursday, August 7, was declared a day of national mourning in memory of former President Ion Iliescu.

"August 7, 2025 has been declared a day of national mourning on the territory of Romania, in memory of former President Ion Iliescu. Ion Iliescu held the position of President of Romania in the terms of 1990–1992, 1992–1996 and 2000–2004, being a prominent personality in post-December political life. He played an important role in the transition period from the communist regime to democracy, being the first president elected after the 1989 Revolution. During his term, Romania adopted a new Constitution (1991), the foundations of democratic institutions were laid and political and economic reforms were initiated," according to a press release.

In accordance with the legal provisions in force, on the day of national mourning, all central and local public institutions and authorities will fly the Romanian flag at half-mast.

Also, the national flag at half-mast shall be flown at the headquarters of political parties, trade union and employer organizations, educational institutions of any level, cultural institutions and diplomatic missions of Romania, at border crossing points, in airports, ports, train stations and bus stations, as well as as a flag on ships of any kind and on boats sailing under the Romanian flag. The same obligation applies to individuals, if they fly the Romanian flag at home or at their residence.

At the same time, radio and television stations, as well as cultural institutions, will adapt their broadcast programs and organized activities accordingly to this day.

UPDATE Ion Iliescu's body will be laid to rest tomorrow at Cotroceni Palace, and the funeral will take place on Thursday, August 7, according to Mediafax sources.

The government is to declare Thursday a day of national mourning. The calendar of funeral procedures will be decided at the government meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Ion Iliescu will be buried with a state funeral. He will be laid to rest at the Unity Hall in the Cotroceni Palace

Former Romanian President Ion Iliescu will be buried with a state funeral. The vigil ceremony will take place in the Unity Hall, at Cotroceni Palace.

On August 6 and 7, 2025, state funerals will be held in honor of former Romanian President Ion Iliescu.

The calendar and conduct of the ceremonies were established by the Committee for the Organization of the State Funeral together with the family representative.

On Wednesday morning, a ceremony will take place on the Marinescu Plateau (arrival of the funeral procession).

In the Union Hall, where the vigil ceremony will be organized.

On Thursday, August 7, the funeral procession will depart from Marinescu Plateau.

Ion Iliescu will be buried in the Ghencea 3 Cemetery. The burial ceremony of the former president of Romania, Ion Iliescu, will take place only in the presence of family and close people.

UPDATE Sources: If the hospital procedure is ready tomorrow morning, Ion Iliescu's lifeless body will be deposited at Cotroceni

UPDATE 18:17 Adrian Năstase: Ion Iliescu died and took with him almost a century of Romanian history

"Ion Iliescu died and took with him almost a century of Romanian history. He was a statesman who cultivated respect based on dialogue. He knew how to solve with wisdom and balance many of the problems of the complicated transition that Romania went through after 1989. He knew how to build teams, he knew how to establish alliances but, above all, he managed to generate consensus on the great challenges of post-December Romania. From this point of view, the Snagov Table remains a grand example", recalls Adrian Năstase.

The former prime minister recalls that he worked with Iliescu since 1990.

"I owe my entry into politics to him. I admired his political qualities but also his human qualities, his passion for culture, his ability to listen, his ability to analyze. I admired his strength to communicate directly with ordinary people but also his presence at international meetings," says Năstase.

UPDATE 18:16 Message sent by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan

"Ion Iliescu, former president of Romania and political leader in the period after 1989, passed away today. He held the position of head of state for two terms and led the main left-wing party of those years," Bolojan wrote on social media.

He recalled that during Iliescu's terms, important decisions were made, such as the Snagov Declaration and the revision of the 2003 Constitution, acts that formed the basis of major transformations in Romania's political and institutional structure.

"His disappearance represents the end of a significant stage in the country's recent history, marked by the post-communist transition and essential transformations in public life. Ion Iliescu now enters history and its proper analysis," added Bolojan, who sent condolences to the former president's family and loved ones.

UPDATE 18:05 Official reaction of the Romanian Government

"With deep regret, the Government announces the passing of the former President of Romania, Mr. Ion Iliescu. The former President of the Romanian State passed away today, August 5, 2025, at the Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu Emergency Clinical Hospital," the Government announced.

At the same time, the Romanian Government sends its condolences to the family and all those close to him and announces that the details regarding the program of the state funeral organized in honor of the former Romanian head of state Ion Iliescu will be communicated in the coming period.

UPDATE: The"Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu" Emergency Clinical Hospital officially announces the death of Ion Iliescu, which occurred on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at 3:55 p.m.

The former president of Romania had been hospitalized in the medical facility since June 9. During the 57 days of hospitalization, a multidisciplinary medical team provided him with the necessary care and treatment.

"The hospital extends its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones," the institution's press release states.

ORIGINAL NEWS: Ion Iliescu passed away on August 5, 2025, according to Mediafax sources. The official announcement of the death will be made by the hospital in the coming minutes.

The general condition of former President Ion Iliescu deteriorated on Saturday morning, with the progressive onset of multiple organ dysfunctions, severe respiratory impairment and significantly reduced ventilatory reserve, according to the"Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu" Emergency Clinical Hospital.

Ion Iliescu was urgently hospitalized on June 10, in the intensive care unit. Aged 95, the former head of state of Romania complained of feeling unwell and was urgently taken to the SRI Hospital in Balotești,"Agripa Ionescu", presenting cardio-respiratory complications.

Ion Iliescu and the path of a controversial leader of post-communist Romania

Ion Iliescu, a central figure in the Romanian political scene after 1989, was a key figure in the transition from the communist regime to democracy. He was raised by his aunt and attended school in Oltenița, then the"Spiru Haret","Sfântul Sava" and Industrial-Polizu high schools in Bucharest.

In 1950, he enrolled at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, studying hydropower. With the help of Ana Pauker, he received support to continue his studies at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute (1950–1954). In 1951, he married Nina Șerbănescu, a researcher in the field of metal corrosion.

After completing his studies, he worked as a design engineer and was active in student structures, being the founder of the Union of Student Associations of Romania in 1956.

After returning to Romania, he was quickly propelled into the leadership structures of the Communist Party, becoming, in the 1960s and 1970s, Minister of Youth and First Secretary of UTC.

From 1949, he was actively involved in the Communist Party, rising through the ranks of the youth organization and later becoming a member of the PCR Central Committee. Between 1967 and 1971, he was Minister for Youth Affairs, and later held leadership positions in the county administrations of Timiș and Iași. In 1979, he became a permanent member of the Council of State.

In 1984, he was expelled from the party leadership, accused of"intellectual deviation." Later, he headed the National Water Council and the Technical Publishing House, and in parallel was president of the Romanian Kayaking-Canoeing Federation.

The 1989 Revolution and the first presidential term

His return to the forefront occurred in December 1989, when, after the fall of the Ceaușescu regime, he emerged as leader of the Council of the National Salvation Front (CFSN). Iliescu emerged into the spotlight on the evening of December 22, 1989, when he announced on television the creation of the CFSN – the new provisional state leadership structure.

On December 27, he was elected president of this body. In this capacity, Iliescu soon became the first president of post-communist Romania, winning the 1990 elections by a landslide.

His term was marked by the difficult transition to a market economy, but also by violent events such as the Mineriades (1990 and 1991), for which he was later accused of inciting violence. Moreover, his involvement in the repression of the University Square demonstrations brought him constant criticism, and the Mineriade case, reopened after 2017, directly targeted him.

After a break between 1996 and 2000, Ion Iliescu returned to Cotroceni for a third presidential term, ending in 2004. During this period, Romania took important steps towards joining NATO and the EU, but its image remained associated with the communist past and the ambiguities of transition.

After retiring from active politics, he continued to play a symbolic role in the PSD and to comment sporadically on political life. Over the years, he was criticized for his refusal to openly condemn communism and for his lack of responsibility for the post-1989 violence.

Despite the controversies, Ion Iliescu remains one of the most influential and long-lived figures in post-Decemberist history, marking through his decisions the direction that Romania followed in the first years of freedom.