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'{{Redirect|Iliescu|other people with the surname|Iliescu (surname)}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{use dmy dates|date=December 2012}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific-prefix = [[Excellency|His Excellency]] | name = Ion Iliescu | honorific-suffix = <small>[[Istiglal Order|IO]], [[Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana|OCTM]], [[Grand Order of King Tomislav|GOKT]], [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|OWE]], [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic|OMIR]]</small> | image = Ion Iliescu (2).JPG | order = [[List of Presidents of Romania|2nd and 4th]] | office = President of Romania | term_start = 22 December 1989 | term_end = 29 November 1996<br /><small>Acting to 20 May 1990</small> | predecessor = [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] | successor = [[Emil Constantinescu]] | term_start2 = 20 December 2000 | term_end2 = 20 December 2004 | predecessor2 = [[Emil Constantinescu]] | successor2 = [[Traian Băsescu]] | nationality = [[Romanian nationality law|Romanian]] | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1931|3|3|80|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Oltenița]], [[Călărași County|Călărași]], [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]] | party = [[Romanian Communist Party]]<br>{{small|(1953–1989)}}<br>[[National Salvation Front (Romania)|National Salvation Front]]<br>{{small|(1989–1992)}}<br>[[Democratic National Salvation Front]]<br>{{small|(1992–1993)}}<br>[[Independent politician|Independent]]<br>{{small|(1993–1996;2000-2004; NSDF/PSDR/PSD membership suspended while president)}}<br>[[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]]<br>{{small|(1996–2000;2004-present)}} | spouse = {{marriage|[[Nina Iliescu]]|1951}} | alma_mater = [[Bucharest Polytechnic Institute]]<br>[[Moscow State University]] | profession = [[Engineer|Hydroelectric Engineer]] | signature = Signature of Ion Iliescu.png }} '''Ion Iliescu''' ({{IPA-ro|iˈon iliˈesku|-|Ro-Ion Iliescu.ogg}}; born 3 March 1931) is a Romanian [[politician]] and statesman, who served as [[President of Romania]] from 1989 until 1996, and from 2000 until 2004. From 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 until his retirement in 2008, Iliescu was a [[Senate of Romania|senator]] for the [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]] (PSD), whose honorary president he remains. He joined the Communist Party in 1953 and became a member of its Central Committee in 1965, however beginning with 1971 he was gradually marginalized by [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]]. He had a leading role in the [[Romanian Revolution]], becoming the country's president in December 1989. In May 1990, he became Romania's first freely elected head of state. After a new constitution was approved by popular referendum, he served a further two terms as president, from 1992 to 1996, and from 2000 to 2004, separated by the presidency of [[Emil Constantinescu]], who defeated him in 1996. Iliescu is widely recognized as a predominant figure in the first fifteen years of post-revolution politics. During his terms Romania joined [[NATO]]. ==Early life and entering politics== {{Expand section|date=June 2013}} Iliescu's father, Alexandru Iliescu, was a railroad worker with [[Communism|Communist]] views during the period in which the [[Romanian Communist Party]] was banned by the authorities. In 1931, he went to the [[Soviet Union]] to take part in the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] Congress of [[Moscow]]. He remained in the USSR for the next four years and was arrested upon his return. He was imprisoned from June 1940 to August 1944 and died in August 1945. During his time in the Soviet Union, Alexandru Iliescu divorced and married Marița, a chambermaid. [[File:Ion Iliescu 1965 poster.jpg|thumb|left|1965 political poster]] Iliescu married Nina Șerbănescu in 1951; they have no children, not by choice but because they could not, as Nina had three [[miscarriage]]s.<ref>[http://ziua.net/news.php?data=2008-09-06&id=12256 "De ce nu a avut Ion Iliescu urmasi"], ''Ziua'', 5 September 2008</ref> Born in [[Oltenița]], Iliescu studied [[fluid mechanics]] at the [[Bucharest Polytechnic Institute]] and then as a foreign student at the Energy Institute of the [[Moscow University]]. During his stay in Moscow, he was the secretary of the "Association of Romanian Students" it is alleged that he knew [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], although Iliescu always denied this.<ref name="risingstar">[[New York Times]], "Upheaval in the East: A Rising Star; A Man Who Could Become Rumania's Leader", 23 December 1989, p. 15</ref> President [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]], however, probably believed a connection between the two existed, since during Gorbachev's visit to Romania in July 1989, Iliescu was sent outside of Bucharest to prevent any contact.<ref>''[[România Liberă]]''. "Gura lumii despre România", 8 May 1990, quoting [[Paris Match]]</ref> [[File:016.Vacanta-pentrecuta-in-Moldova-1976.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Ion Iliescu in 1976 together with [[Elena Ceaușescu]]]] He joined the [[Union of Communist Youth]] in 1944 and the Communist Party in 1953 and made a career in the Communist [[nomenklatura]], becoming a secretary of the [[Central Committee]] of the Union of Communist Youth in 1956 and a member of the Central Committee of the [[Romanian Communist Party]] in 1965. At one point, he served as the head of the Central Committee's Department of Propaganda.<ref name="risingstar"/> Iliescu later served as Minister for Youth-related Issues between 1967 and 1971. However, in 1971, Ceaușescu felt threatened by Iliescu—as he was seen as Ceaușescu's heir apparent—and he was marginalized by and removed from all major political offices, being assigned vice-president of the [[Timiș County]] Council (1971–1974), and later president of the [[Iași County|Iași]] Council (1974–1979). Until 1989, he was in charge of Editura Tehnică publishing house. For most of the 1980s (if not before), he was tailed by the [[Securitate]] (secret police), as he was known to oppose Ceaușescu's harsh rule.<ref name=Revolution1989>{{cite book|last=Sebetsyen|first=Victor|title=Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire|publisher=[[Pantheon Books]]|location=New York City|year=2009|isbn=0-375-42532-2}}</ref> ==Romanian Revolution== {{Main article|Romanian Revolution}} The Romanian Revolution began as a popular revolt in [[Timișoara]]. After Ceaușescu was overthrown on 22 December (he was executed on Christmas Day), the political vacuum was filled by an organization named [[National Salvation Front (Romania)|National Salvation Front]] (FSN: ''Frontul Salvării Naționale''), formed spontaneously by second-rank communist party members opposed to the policies of Ceaușescu and non-affiliated participants in the revolt. Iliescu was quickly acknowledged as the leader of the organization and therefore of the provisional authority. He first learned of the revolution when he noticed the Securitate was no longer tailing him.<ref name=Revolution1989/> [[File:CFSN Revolution Roumaine.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Three men are walking side-by-side holding papers. The first two are wearing a suit and the third is wearing a red sweater. The first man is smiling and flashing a V sign.|Iliescu (center) with FSN members Dumitru Mazilu (left) and [[Petre Roman]] (right) on 23 December 1989, one day after the formation of the FSN.]] Iliescu proposed multi-party elections and an "original democracy". This is widely held to have meant the adoption of ''[[Perestroika]]''-style reforms rather than the complete removal of existing institutions; it can be linked to the warm reception the new regime was given by Mikhail Gorbachev and the rest of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] leadership, and the fact that the first post-revolutionary international agreement signed by Romania was with that country. Iliescu did not renounce Communist ideology and the program he initially presented during the revolution included restructuring the agriculture and the reorganization of trade, but not a switch to capitalism.<ref name="risingstar"/> These views were held by other members of the FSN as well, such as [[Silviu Brucan]], who claimed in early 1990 that the revolution was against Ceaușescu, not against communism.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}} Iliescu later evoked the possibility of trying a "[[Sweden|Swedish]] model" of socialism. Rumours abounded for years that Illiescu and other second-rank Communists had been planning to overthrow Ceaușescu, but the events of December 1989 overtook them. For instance, [[Nicolae Militaru]], the new regime's first [[Ministry of National Defense (Romania)|defense minister]], said that Illiescu and others had planned to take Ceaușescu prisoner in February 1990 while he was out of the capital. However, Illiescu denies this, saying that the nature of the Ceaușescu regime—particularly the Securitate's ubiquity—made advance planning for a coup all but impossible.<ref name=Revolution1989/> ==Presidency== {{expand section|date=June 2012}} {{Infobox President styles | image = [[File:Coat of arms of Romania.svg|50px]] | name = Ion Iliescu | dipstyle = Președintele (President) | offstyle = Președintele (President) | altstyle = Domnia Sa/Excelența Sa (His Excellency) }} The [[National Salvation Front (Romania)|National Salvation Front]] decided to organize itself as a party and run in the [[Romanian general election, 1990|1990 general election]]—the first free election held in the country in 53 years. It won a sweeping victory, taking over 70% of the votes. In the separate presidential election, Iliescu won handily, taking 85 percent of the vote. He thus became Romania's first democratically elected head of state, and the first since 1947 who was not a Communist or [[fellow traveler]]. Iliescu and his supporters split from the Front and created the Democratic National Salvation Front (NSDF), which later evolved into the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), then the Social Democratic Party (PSD) (see [[Social Democratic Party of Romania]]). Progressively, the Front lost its character as a [[Central government|national government]] or generic coalition, and became vulnerable to criticism for using its appeal as the first institution involved in power sharing, while engaging itself in political battles with forces that could not enjoy this status, nor the credibility. Under the pressure of the events that led to the [[Mineriad]]s, his political stance has veered with time: from a proponent of ''Perestroika'', Iliescu recast himself as a Western European [[social democracy|social democrat]]. The main debate around the subject of his commitment to such ideals is linked to the special conditions in Romania, and especially to the strong [[Nationalism|nationalist]] and autarkic attitude visible within the Ceaușescu regime. Critics have pointed out that, unlike most communist-to-social democrat changes in the [[Eastern bloc]], Romania's tended to retain various cornerstones. [[File:Ion Iliescu (2004).jpg|thumb|165px|Iliescu in 2004]] [[File:Iliescu si Bush.jpg|thumb|250px|Iliescu and U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002]] The new [[Romanian Constitution|Constitution]] was adopted in 1991, and in 1992 he won a second term when he received 61% of the vote. He immediately resigned as leader of the NSDF; the Constitution does not allow the president to be a formal member of a political party during his term. He ran for a third time in 1996 but, stripped of media monopoly, he lost to [[Emil Constantinescu]]. Over 1,000,000 votes were cancelled, leading to accusations of widespread fraud. In the [[Romanian presidential elections, 2000|2000 presidential election]] Iliescu ran again and won in the run-off against the ultra-nationalist<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realitatea.net/preda-antonescu-il-secondeaza-pe-vadim-tudor-cu-discursul-ultranationalist_718413.html|title=Preda: Antonescu îl secondează pe Vadim Tudor cu discursul ultranaţionalist|publisher=Realitatea |accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?sec=article&article_id=4066 |title=Article|publisher=SF Bay Times|accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/romania/tudor.html|title=House of Tudor|publisher=PBS|accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref> [[Corneliu Vadim Tudor]]. He began his third term on 20 December of that year, ending on 20 December 2004. The center-right was severely defeated during the 2000 elections due largely to public dissatisfaction with the harsh economic reforms of the previous four years as well as the political instability and infighting of the multiparty coalition. Tudor's extreme views also ensured that most urban voters either abstained or chose Iliescu. In the PSD elections of 21 April 2005, Iliescu lost the Party presidency to [[Mircea Geoană]], but was elected as honorary president of the party in 2006, a position without official executive authority in the party. ==Controversies== Though enjoying a certain popularity due to his opposition to Ceaușescu and image as a revolutionary, his political career after 1989 was characterized by multiple controversies and scandals. Public opinion regarding his tenure as president is still divided.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfin.ro/articol_13481/al_cincilea_iliescu.html?action=print|title=Al Cincilea Iliescu|publisher=Income Magazine|accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref> ===Alleged KGB connections=== Some alleged Iliescu had connections to the [[KGB]], the allegations continued during 2003-2008, when Russian dissident [[Vladimir Bukovsky]], who had been granted access to Soviet archives, declared that Iliescu and some of the NSF members were KGB agents, that Iliescu had been in close connection with Mikhail Gorbachev ever since they had allegedly met during Iliescu's stay in Moscow, and that the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a plot organized by the KGB to regain control of the country's policies (gradually lost under Ceaușescu's rule).<ref>[http://english.hotnews.ro/stiri-top_news-6209804-russian-dissident-who-copied-the-gorbachev-foundations-archive-mitterrand-and-gorbachev-wanted-the-european-socialist-union-thatcher-opposed-germanys-reunification.htm Russian dissident who copied the Gorbachev Foundation's archive: Mitterrand and Gorbachev wanted the European Socialist Union, Thatcher opposed Germany's reunification]</ref> The only hard evidence published was a discussion between Gorbachev and Bulgaria's [[Aleksandar Lilov]] from 23 May 1990 (after Iliescu's victory in the May 20 elections) in which Gorbachev says that Iliescu holds a "calculated position", and that despite sharing common views with Iliescu, Gorbachev wanted to avoid sharing this impression with the public.<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?id=199569&data=15-05-2006 Dovada Bukovski]</ref> ===Mineriads=== {{Main article|Mineriad}} He, along with other figures in the leading [[National Salvation Front (Romania)|FSN]], was allegedly responsible for calling the [[Jiu Valley]] miners to Bucharest on 28 January and 14 June 1990 to end the protests of the citizens gathered in [[University Square, Bucharest]], protests aimed against the ex-communist leaders of Romania (like himself). The pejorative term for this demonstration was the [[Golaniad]] (from the [[Romanian language|Romanian]] ''golan'', rascal). On 13 June, an attempt of the authorities to remove from the square around 100 protesters, which had remained in the street even after the [[Romanian presidential election, 1990|May elections]] had confirmed Iliescu and the FSN, resulted in attacks against several state institutions, such as the Ministry of Interior, the Bucharest Police Headquarters and the National Television. Iliescu issued a call to the Romanian people to come and defend the government, prompting several group of miners to descend on the capital, armed with wooden clubs and bats. They trashed the [[University of Bucharest]], some newspaper offices and the headquarters of opposition parties, claiming that they were havens of decadence and immorality - drugs, firearms and munitions, "an automatic typewriter", and fake currency. The [[June 1990 Mineriad]] in particular was widely criticized both at home and internationally, with one historian (Andrei Pippidi) comparing the events to Nazi Germany's [[Kristallnacht]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Constantin Petre |url=http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/mineriadele-anului-1990-democratia-sub-bate-898037.html |title=Mineriadele anului 1990, democraţia sub bâte|publisher=EVZ|accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romanialibera.ro/exclusiv-rl/investigatii/minerii-au-terorizat-capitala-30479.html|title=Minerii au terorizat Capitala |publisher=Romania Libera|accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref> Government inquiries later established that the miners were infiltrated and instigated by former [[Securitate]] operatives.<ref name="Baleanu">[http://www.fas.org/irp/world/romania/g43.html Baleanu, V. G. ''The Enemy Within: The Romanian Intelligence Service in Transition. January 1995. Conflict Studies Research Centre, The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst: Camberley, Surrey GU15 4PQ.]</ref> In February 1994 a Bucharest court "found two security officers, Colonel Ion. Nicolae and warrant officer Corneliu Dumitrescu, guilty of ransacking the house of [[Ion Rațiu]], a leading figure in the [[National Peasant Christian Democratic Party]], during the miners’ incursion, and stealing $100,000."<ref name="Deletant">[http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/21010417/803473086/name/Carey_final.pdf Deletant, Dennis. "Chapter 25: The Security Services since 1989: Turning over a new leaf." 2004. Carey, Henry F., ed. ''Romania since 1989: politics, economics, and society.'' Lexington Books: Oxford. pp. 507-510.]</ref> ===King Michael=== In 1992, three years after the revolution which overthrew the Communist dictatorship, the Romanian government allowed [[Michael I of Romania|King Michael]] to return to his country for Easter celebrations, where he drew large crowds. In Bucharest over a million people turned out to see him. Michael's popularity alarmed the government of President Ion Iliescu, so Michael was forbidden to visit Romania again for five years. In 1997, after Iliescu's defeat by Emil Constantinescu, the Romanian Government restored Michael's citizenship and again allowed him to visit the country. ===Pardons=== In December 2001, Iliescu pardoned three inmates convicted for [[bribery]], including George Tănase, former [[Garda Financiara|Financial Guard]] head commissioner for [[Ialomița County|Ialomița]].<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www2.gds.ro/Actualitate/2002-01-04/Presedintele+Ion+Iliescu+a+acordat+gratieri Presedintele Ion Iliescu a acordat gratieri]</ref> Iliescu had to revoke Tănase's pardon a few days later due to the media outcry, claiming that "a legal adviser was superficial in analyzing the case".<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-49352551.html Romania's president to cancel pardon, pledges to fight corruption]</ref><ref>{{ro icon}}[http://www2.gds.ro/Opinii/2002-01-14/Colaboratorii+presedintelui Colaboratorii presedintelui. Opinii - de Octavian PALER]</ref> Later, the humanitarian reasons invoked in the pardon were contradicted by another medical expert opinion.<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/national-extern/gratierea-lui-iliescu-miroase-suspect-de-la-o-posta~ni2ch4 Gratierea lui Iliescu miroase suspect de la o posta]</ref> Another controversial pardon was that of Dan Tartagă—a businessman from [[Brașov]] that, while drunk, had run over and killed two people on a pedestrian crossing. He was sentenced to three years and a half but was pardoned after only a couple of months.<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-arhiva-1248257-ambasada-sua-nu-inceput-anchetarea-puscasului-marin.htm] Ambasada SUA: Nu a inceput anchetarea puscasului marin] (in the background section)</ref> Tartagă was later sentenced to a two-year sentence for [[fraud]].<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.phg.ro/stire.php?id=7335&cat_id=10 Afacere imobiliara cu iz de TBC la Brasov] (in the background section)</ref> Most controversial of all, on 15 December 2004, a few days before the end of his last term, Iliescu [[pardon]]ed 47 convicts, including [[Miron Cozma]], the leader of the miners during the early 1990s, who had been sentenced in 1999 to 18 years in prison in conjunction with the [[September 1991 Mineriad]]. This has attracted harsh criticism from all Romanian media.<ref name=evz46>{{ro icon}} [http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/669963/Gratiatii-lui-Iliescu-Nastase-corupti-tilhari-violatori-tepari/ Gratiatii lui Iliescu-Nastase: corupti, tilhari, violatori, tepari]</ref> Many of the pardoned had been convicted for corruption or other economic crimes, while one had been imprisoned for his involvement in the attempts at suppressing the 1989 Revolution.<ref name=evz46/> ===Decorating Vadim Tudor=== In the last days of his President mandate, he awarded the National Order ''[[Steaua României]]'' (rank of ceremonial knighthood) to the ultra-nationalist controversial politician [[Corneliu Vadim Tudor]], a gesture which drew criticism in the press and prompted [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner [[Elie Wiesel]], fifteen [[Radio Free Europe]] journalists, [[Timișoara]] mayor [[Gheorghe Ciuhandu]], songwriter [[Alexandru Andrieș]], and historian [[Randolph Braham]] to return their Romanian honours in protest. The leader of Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, [[Béla Markó]], did not show up to claim the award he received on the same occasion. The then current president, Traian Băsescu, revoked the award granted to Tudor on 24 May 2007, but a lawsuit is ongoing even after Băsescu's decree was declared constitutional.<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.ziua.ro/news.php?data=2009-01-20&id=19614 Curtea Constituțională a respins excepția invocată de Vadim Tudor in procesul privind Ordinul "Steaua Romaniei"]</ref> ===Black sites=== Ion Iliescu is mentioned in the report of the [[Council of Europe]] investigator into illegal activities of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] in Europe, [[Dick Marty]]. He is pointed out as one of the people who authorized or at least knew about and have to stand accountable for [[Black site|torture prisons]] at [[Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport|Mihail Kogălniceanu]] airbase from 2003 to 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2007/EMarty_20070608_NoEmbargo.pdf|title=Secret detentions and illegal transfers of detainees involving Council of Europe member states: second report|author=Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights|date=7 June 2007|work=Parliamentary Assembly|publisher=Council of Europe|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> In April 2015, Iliescu confirmed that he had granted a CIA request for a site in Romania, but was not aware of the nature of the site, describing it as a small gesture of goodwill to an ally in advance of Romania's eventual accession to NATO. Iliescu further stated that had he known of the intended use of the site, he would certainly not have approved the request.<ref name="Spiegel 2015-04-22">{{cite journal |last=Verseck |first=Keno |date=2015-04-22 |title=Folter in Rumänien: Ex-Staatschef Iliescu gibt Existenz von CIA-Gefängnis zu |trans-title=Torture in Romania: Former Head of State Iliescu Acknowledges Existence of CIA Prison |language=German |url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/cia-foltergefaengnisse-in-rumaenien-ion-iliescu-gibt-existenz-zu-a-1028917.html |journal=[[Der Spiegel]] |location=Hamburg, Germany |publisher=Spiegel-Verlag |access-date=2015-04-22 }}</ref> ==Awards== * The Order "The Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic First Class" (Ordinul Steaua Republicii Socialiste România clasa I) (1971)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lege5.ro/Gratuit/gu4tqoju/decretul-nr-157-1971-privind-conferirea-unor-ordine-ale-republicii-socialiste-romania/2|title=Decretul nr. 157/1971 privind conferirea unor ordine ale Republicii Socialiste România|language=Romanian|accessdate=June 13, 2014}}</ref> * Iliescu was awarded with Azerbaijani [[Istiglal Order]] for his contributions to development of [[Azerbaijan-Romania relations]] and strategic cooperation between the states by [[President of Azerbaijan]] [[Ilham Aliyev]] on 6 October 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://e-qanun.az/print.php?internal=view&target=1&docid=5771&doctype=0 |title= İon İliyeskonun "İstiqlal" ordeni ilə təltif edilməsi haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN FƏRMANI|trans_title= Order of the President of Azerbaijan Republic on awarding President of Romania Ion Iliescu with Istiglal Order|accessdate=20 January 2011}}</ref> * {{flag|Estonia}}: Collar of the [[Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana]] * {{flag|Slovakia}}: Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the [[Order of the White Double Cross]] (2002)<ref>Slovak republic website, [http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/ State honours]: 1st Class in 2002 (click on "Holders of the Order of the 1st Class White Double Cross" to see the holders' table)</ref> * {{flag|Croatia}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Grand Order of King Tomislav]] ("For outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and development co-operation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Romania." - 12 May 2003) * {{flag|Italy}}: Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]] - 15 October 2003<ref>[http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=132635 Quirinale web site]</ref> * {{flag|Poland}}: [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] (2003) * {{flag|Romania}}: Emblema de Onoare a Armatei României ("The Romanian Army's Badge of Honor") - 24 October 2012<ref>{{cite web|title=Iliescu si Constantinescu au primit Emblema de Onoare a Armatei|url=http://www.ziare.com/ion-iliescu/presedinte/iliescu-si-constantinescu-au-primit-emblema-de-onoare-a-armatei-1197560|accessdate=24 October 2012|language=ro}}</ref> * {{flag|Serbia and Montenegro}}: [[Order of the Yugoslav Star]] (2004)<ref>[http://www.blic.rs/stara_arhiva/politika/68682/Odlikovanja-sakom-i-kapom Odlikovanja šakom i kapom] at [[Blic]], 9-9-2004 {{sr icon}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist|33em}} ==Further reading== * [http://www.ziaristionline.ro/2011/01/27/foaie-nationala-si-ziaristi-online-ofera-biografia-secreta-a-lui-ion-iliescu-candidatul-manciurian-pdf/ Vladimir Alexe — ''Ion Iliescu - biografia secretă: "Candidatul manciurian"'' (Ion Iliescu - The Secret Biography: "The Manchurian Candidate")] (in Romanian), published by [[Ziaristi Online]], 2000; ISBN 973-581-036-0 * [http://www.catavencu.ro/pdf/supliment_Iliescu.pdf The supplement dedicated to Iliescu] (in Romanian), published by [[Academia Cațavencu]], 22 December 2004 ==External links== * {{ro icon}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041021002732/http://www.presidency.ro/index.php?_RID=htm&id=4 |date=21 October 2004 |title=Ion Iliescu official biography }} * {{ro icon}} [http://ioniliescu.wordpress.com/ Ion Iliescu's blog] {{Presidents of Romania}} {{PSDHeads}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Iliescu, Ion}} [[Category:1931 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People of the Romanian Revolution]] [[Category:Presidents of Romania]] [[Category:Romanian communists]] [[Category:Romanian atheists]] [[Category:Romanian bloggers]] [[Category:Romanian dissidents]] [[Category:Members of the Great National Assembly]] [[Category:Members of the Senate of Romania]] [[Category:People from Oltenița]] [[Category:Moscow State University alumni]] [[Category:Politehnica University of Bucharest alumni]] [[Category:Presidents of the Social Democratic Party (Romania)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana]] [[Category:Recipients of the Istiglal Order]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]] [[Category:Grand Order of King Tomislav recipients]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Double Cross]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Vytautas the Great]] [[Category:Romanian propagandists]]'