Romanian former president Ion Iliescu buried in Bucharest following official funeral service

The funeral service of Romanian former president Ion Iliescu was performed on Thursday, August 7, an official mourning day in Bucharest. Among those present were family, friends, former allies, and political opponents. Those absent, namely the former president Klaus Iohannis and current president Nicusor Dan, were also notable.

Ion Iliescu, Romania’s first president after the fall of communism in December 1989 and one of the country’s most influential and controversial political figures, died on Tuesday, August 5, at the age of 95. His funeral ceremony was the first one for a head of state since the 1989 Revolution.

Among those present at the service were former president of Romania Emil Constantinescu, prime minister Ilie Bolojan, as well as former prime ministers Marcel Ciolacu, Adrian Năstase, Nicolae Văcăroiu, Theodor Stolojan, and Viorica Dăncilă.

The coffin with the body of Ion Iliescu was taken out of Cotroceni Palace by soldiers on their shoulders and solemnly placed in the hearse. The service was performed by the vicar bishop of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, Timotei Prahoveanul, accompanied by a group of priests and deacons, according to Libertatea.

Afterwards, the coffin was taken out of the Cotroceni Palace Church to the solemn sound of bells. The soldiers of the Honor Guard carried it on their shoulders, marking the end of the religious ceremony.

The Honor Guard paid final tribute to former president Ion Iliescu on the Marinescu Plateau, where the funeral procession passed in front of the 30th Guard Brigade "Mihai Viteazul."

After the religious service, the funeral procession departed toward the Marinescu Gate. Leading the procession was the group of priests who had officiated the funeral service, and behind the hearse, the coffin was accompanied, for part of the way, by officials and close acquaintances of Ion Iliescu present at the ceremony.

Traffic was not stopped in the capital, and the funeral procession moved through it. Arriving at the Ghencea III Military Cemetery, the coffin with the body of the former president was carried by soldiers to the gun carriage. Near the cemetery, several people gathered to bid farewell to Ion Iliescu, most of them elderly.

The burial took place in the presence of family and close friends. At the end of the religious ceremony, the flag was lifted from the coffin, which was then lowered into the crypt to the sound of the Funeral March.

The 21-gun salute that concluded the state funeral of former president Ion Iliescu. The National Anthem was also played.