Several hundred people came to the Cotroceni Palace on Wednesday to say goodbye to former President Ion Iliescu. Not only high -ranking politicians and officials, but also simple people from several areas of the country were present. HotNews.ro reporters surprised the atmosphere from the first day without the former head of state.
Many of those present waited quietly for tens of minutes to pass through the coffin deposited in the Union Hall at Cotroceni Palace. Some laid flowers, others stopped for a few seconds in front of the catafalc, while others looked in silence, without approaching.
Visitors were allowed to enter small groups, in a constant flow, and the politicians did not make statements. Former President Klaus Iohannis and the current president Nicuşor Dan were not present.
Ion Iliescu died on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the age of 95, after a long fight with lung cancer. He was the first president elected in post -communist Romania and led the country in three mandates (1990-1996 and 2000-2004), playing a central role in the democratic transition, accession to NATO and the European Union, but also in controversial events such as Mining of 1990.
The state funerals are scheduled on Thursday, August 7, and the burial will take place in the Ghencea III Military Cemetery in Bucharest, during a ceremony with military honors. The day of August 7 was declared a national mourning day, and the funeral cortege will follow an official route in the capital before reaching the place.
