National Day of Mourning on August 7, in Memory of Ion Iliescu

The first day of the state funeral organized in memory of the former President of Romania, Ion Iliescu, has ended.

During the night, the coffin will remain on the catafalque in the Union Hall of the Cotroceni Palace and will be permanently guarded by soldiers from the 30th Guards Brigade Mihai Viteazu.

On Wednesday, in the first part of the day, numerous state figures presented their condolences, including former presidents Traian Basescu and Emil Constantinescu, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and the Governor of the National Bank, Mugur Isarescu.

After lunch, for five hours, over 1.000 people from Bucharest or those who came specially from the country, paid their last respects to Ion Iliescu. The former head of state will be buried on Thursday, a day of national mourning. Andrei Serban has the details.

Reporter: On Thursday, at the Cotroceni Palace, the state funeral of former President Ion Iliescu will begin at 10:00, with a short religious moment.

The Guard ceremony will follow at the catafalque, in the Unirii Hall, where the coffin is laid out. Then, it will be taken to the church in the courtyard of the Cotroceni Palace, where the religious funeral service will be held.

After this service, the funeral procession will leave the church and head towards the Marinescu Gate, where the 30th Guards Brigade Mihai Viteazu will present the last honor by lowering the flag and singing the National Anthem of Romania, after which the coffin will pass in front of the Guard.

Then, the funeral procession will start on Gheorghe Marinescu Boulevard, pass on Panduri Road, Ghencea Boulevard, Ghencea Extension and arrive at the Ghencea III Military Cemetery.

Thursday is a National Day of Mourning. In accordance with legal provisions, all central and local public institutions and authorities will fly the Romanian Flag at half-mast.

The national flag will also be flown at half-mast at the headquarters of political parties, educational institutions of any level, at Romanian diplomatic missions, at border crossings, in airports, as well as a flag on ships of any kind and on boats sailing under the Romanian flag.

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.

Translated by: Radu Matei