Ion Iliescu

Ion Iliescu (born March 3, 1930) is a Romanian politician. He was the President of Romania for eleven years, from 1990 to 1996, and 2000 to 2004. His final term ended in December 2004, and his successor is Democrat leader Traian B?sescu. Currently, Ion Iliescu is a Senator from SDP party. In 2005 investigations began that should eventually lead to his being put on trial for a number of accusations, including crimes against humanity, related to the bloody abuses of power he committed during the years 1989-1990, especially during the 1989 Romanian Revolution and the Mineriads.

After the 1989 revolution

Iliescu was the main figure of the period immediately following the revolution that overthrew Nicolae Ceau?escu in December 1989, as well its main political profiteer, as he assumed leadership.

Related Topics:
Revolution - Nicolae Ceau?escu - 1989

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Being the leader of the provisional authority, Iliescu declared that he wishes Romania to become an "original democracy", as opposed to the communist system and the western-style democracy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The National Salvation Front (FSN: Frontul Salv?rii Na?ionale) was originally meant to be organizing the free legislative elections on 20 May 1990 and afterward disband itself, but eventually run in the elections it organized and won with over 85% of the votes.

Related Topics:
20 May - 1990

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He was a founding member of the National Salvation Front and followed it in its vagaries: NSDF ( National Salvation Democratic Front ), then the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), then the Social Democratic Party (SDP) (see Social Democratic Party of Romania).

Related Topics:
National Salvation Front - Social Democratic Party of Romania

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Under the pressure of the events that led to the mineriads, his political convictions have superficially changed with the times, from a proponent of perestroika communism to that of a neophyte social democrat.

Related Topics:
Mineriad - Communism - Social democrat

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The new Constitution was adopted in 1991 and in 1992 he won a second term when he obtained 61% of the votes. According to political scientists like Daniel Barbu or Dan Pavel, his election was based almost exclusively on the rural population and disoriented lower class industrial workers, controlled through manipulation from the state controlled media (TVR, the state television, was the only widescale TV channel until 1993). He ran for a third time in 1996 but, losing the support of the media, and of almost all urban citizens, he lost to Emil Constantinescu. Over 1.000.000 votes have been cancelled, facing prospects of wide-spread fraud.

Related Topics:
Constitution - 1991 - Daniel Barbu - Dan Pavel - 1996 - Emil Constantinescu

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the 2000 presidential election Iliescu ran again and won in the run-off against the ultra-nationalist Corneliu Vadim Tudor and began his third term on December 20 of that year, which ended on 20 December 2004. The 2000 elections were considered by many to be a choice between two evils of almost equal magnitude, where the least prevailed. This was due to the low turnout, that ensued after the very disappointing CDR government, a government in which many had all their hopes.

Related Topics:
2000 presidential election - Corneliu Vadim Tudor - December 20 - 2004

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At the elections of SDP of 21 April 2005, Iliescu lost the presidency of SDP to Mircea Geoan?.

Related Topics:
21 April - 2005 - Mircea Geoan?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~