1989 in Romania
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- President: Nicolae Ceaușescu (until 22 December),[1] Ion Iliescu (starting 26 December)[2]
- Prime Minister: Constantin Dăscălescu (until 25 December),[3] Petre Roman (starting 26 December)[3]
Events
March
- Six retired senior figures in the Romanian Communist Party, including Gheorghe Apostol and Silviu Brucan, write an open letter to Nicolae Ceaușescu. They call for the relaxation of Ceaușescu's demand for increased exports, the release of more food for internal consumption, the investment in new technology for the industries, the halt of a vastly expensive program of prestige projects of doubtful economic value and for the dictator to put an end to systematization.[3]
April
- President Nicolae Ceaușescu announces that Romania had paid all of its external debt.[3][4][5]
- 18 April – The localities of Aninoasa (Hunedoara County), Fundulea (Călărași County), Lehliu Gară (Călărași County), Mioveni (Argeș County) and Valea lui Mihai (Bihor County) are declared cities.
May
- The Italian football club AC Milan wins the 1989 European Cup final, beating Steaua București of Romania 4–0 in Barcelona.
September
- 10 September - A Romanian cruiser carrying 179 people collides with a Bulgarian tugboat on the Danube, near Galați. Only 18 people are rescued from the cruiser.[6]
November
- 20–25 November - The 14th party congress takes place.[7]
- 23 November – During the XIV Congress of the RCP, first shift workers from Timișoara Mechanical Works try to organize a revolt against the communist regime. Their movement is quelled by the Securitate organs.
- 24 November – Nicolae Ceaușescu, the sole candidate for the communist party's leadership, is unanimously re-elected by the Central Committee[8] as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party.[9][10][11]
December
- 15 December - Demonstrators in Timișoara try preventing the arrest of Protestant clergyman László Tőkés.[7]
- 16 December – The Romanian Revolution begins in Timișoara when rioters break into the Committee Building and cause extensive vandalism. Their attempts to set the buildings on fire are foiled by military units.
- 17 December - Nicolae Ceaușescu orders troops to fire on a crowd of protesters in Timișoara.[12]
- 19 December - Parts of Romania are reported to be under virtual martial law by Reuter.[13]
- 20 December – A general strike breaks out in all the factories in Timișoara. Timișoara is declared the first city free of communism in Romania.
- 21 December
- A huge rally in Bucharest turns into chaos as firecrackers explode at the periphery of the gathering. Soldiers, tanks, APCs, USLA officers and Securitate officers dressed in civilian clothes crack on demonstrators, leaving casualties and significant material damage.
- Peaceful demonstrators in Arad, Brăila, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Hunedoara, Sibiu and Timișoara are shot dead by Securitate officers.
- 22 December – Army units defect to the side of the demonstrators while the Ceaușescus flee and the Council of the National Salvation Front announces that it has overthrown the government.[7]
- 23 December - The Ceaușescu spouses are reported to have been captured.[14]
- 25 December – Trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu: The Ceaușescu spouses are summarily judged and executed outside the military garrison in Târgoviște.[15][16]
- 27 December – Petre Roman is appointed Prime Minister of the Government of Romania.
- 28 December – For the first time, after a long break, is held a meeting of the Board of Writers' Union of Romania. Is elected a provisional steering committee, the president being Mircea Dinescu.
- 29 December - The Socialist Republic of Romania is renamed as Romania (Romanian: România).[17]
- 31 December – The Decree-Law no. 8 of 31 December 1989 issued by NSFC reintroduces the political pluralism in Romania.
