President of Romania in the context of "Nicolae Ceaușescu"

In Romanian historiography, the Great Union (Romanian: Marea Unire) or Great Union of 1918 (Marea Unire din 1918) was the series of political unifications the Kingdom of Romania had with several of the Romanian historical regions, starting with Bessarabia on 27 March 1918, continuing with Bukovina on 28 November 1918 and finalizing with Transylvania (on its broad meaning) on 1 December 1918 with the declaration of the union of this region with Romania during an assembly at the city of Alba Iulia. Romanians also consider several other events as preludes to the Great Union, such as the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia (also known as the Little Union, Mica Unire) in 1859 or the independence of the country and the annexation of Northern Dobruja in 1878, and also the occupation of Transylvania and Moldavia by the Prince of Wallachia, Michael the Brave, in 1600.

Today, the Great Union has an important meaning in Romania, and it is commemorated in the Great Union Day, the national day of the country, every 1 December. The centenary of the Great Union on 1 December 2018 was widely celebrated in Romania, with military parades at cities like Alba Iulia and Bucharest to which many people (up to 550,000, 100,000 of them in Alba Iulia alone), including the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, attended. The centenary was also celebrated in Moldova, where more than 100 localities and 3 districts declared unification with Romania.

The Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities (Romanian: Ziua Unirii Principatelor Române) or, unofficially, the Little Union Day (Romanian: Ziua Micii Uniri), is a public holiday of Romania celebrated every 24 January to commemorate the unification of the Romanian Principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia), also known as the "Little Union", on 24 January 1859 under prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. This event is deemed as important as it is considered the first step towards the goal of achieving a unitary Romanian state, something that is considered to have been achieved on 1 December 1918, when the Romanian National Assembly declared the union of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș with the Kingdom of Romania.

The Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities was first adopted by the Senate on 2 June 2014 and later by the Chamber of Deputies on 3 December of the same year. The holiday became official when a few days later Romanian President Traian Băsescu signed a decree promulgating it on 16 December. Thus, Law No. 171/2014 dictates that, on 24 January, central and local authorities can provide material and logistical support to artistic and cultural events dedicated to this day. Since 2016, the observance is a non-working day in Romania.

The trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu were held on 25 December 1989 in Târgoviște, Romania. The trial was conducted by an Extraordinary Military Tribunal, a drumhead court-martial created at the request of a newly formed group called the National Salvation Front. Its outcome was predetermined, and it resulted in guilty verdicts and death sentences for former Romanian President and General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party Nicolae Ceaușescu, and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu. The main charge was genocide. Romanian state television announced that Nicolae Ceaușescu had been responsible for the deaths of 60,000 people; the announcement did not make clear whether this was the number killed during the Romanian revolution in Timișoara or throughout the 24 years of Ceaușescu's rule.

Nevertheless, the charges did not affect the trial. General Victor Stănculescu had brought with him a specially selected team of paratroopers, handpicked earlier in the morning to act as a firing squad. Before the legal proceedings began, Stănculescu had already selected the spot where the execution would take place: along one side of the wall in the barracks' square.

The Government of Romania (Romanian: Guvernul României) forms one half of the executive branch of the government of Romania (the other half being the office of the President of Romania). It is headed by the Prime Minister of Romania, and consists of the ministries, various subordinate institutions and agencies, and the 42 prefectures. The seat of the Romanian Government is at Victoria Palace in Bucharest.

The Government is the public authority of executive power that functions on the basis of the vote of confidence granted by Parliament, ensuring the achievement of the country's domestic and foreign policy and that exercises the general leadership of public administration. The Government is appointed by the President of Romania on the basis of the vote of confidence granted to the Government by the Parliament of Romania.

Klaus Werner Iohannis (Romanian: [ˈkla.us joˈhanis]; German: [ˈklaʊs joˈhanɪs]; born 13 June 1959) is a Romanian politician, physicist, and former teacher who served as the president of Romania from 2014 until his resignation in 2025. Prior to entering national politics, Iohannis was a physics teacher at the Samuel von Brukenthal National College in his native Sibiu where he eventually served as mayor from 2000 to 2014 before ascending to the presidency.

Iohannis was first elected the mayor of the Romanian town of Sibiu in 2000, on behalf of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR). Although the Transylvanian Saxon population of Sibiu had declined to a tiny minority by the early 2000s, he won a surprise victory and was re-elected by landslides in 2004, 2008, and 2012. He is credited with turning his home town into one of Romania's most popular tourist destinations. Sibiu was named the European Capital of Culture in 2007 alongside Luxembourg City.

Traian Băsescu (Romanian pronunciation: [traˈjan bəˈsesku]; born 4 November 1951) is a Romanian politician who served as the president of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian minister of transport on multiple occasions between 1991 and 2000, and as Mayor of Bucharest from 2000 to 2004. Additionally, he was elected as leader of the Democratic Party (PD) in 2001.

During his term as leader of the PD, the party formed the Justice and Truth Alliance (DA) with the National Liberal Party (PNL). Following Theodor Stolojan's withdrawal from the presidential elections in 2004, Băsescu entered the presidential race on behalf of the alliance. After being elected president, he suspended his PD membership; Romanian law does not permit the incumbent president to be a member of a political party. He was subsequently re-elected in 2009.

Mareșal (transl. Marshal) is the highest rank in the Army of Romania, the Romanian Armed Forces. It is the equivalent of a field marshal in other countries.

The rank of mareșal can only be bestowed to a General or Admiral, in time of war for exceptional military merits, by the President of Romania and confirmed by the Supreme Council of National Defense.

The Chief of General Staff (Romanian: Șeful Statului Major General) is the highest professional military authority in the Romanian Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Romania, at the National Defense Minister's proposal (with the approval of the Prime Minister) on a four-year period, with the possibility of one-year extension. The Deputy Chief of General Staff or one of the Chiefs of the Services can be appointed in this position.