The Moscow-trained engineer took power after the bloody 1989 revolution that culminated in the overthrow and execution of dictator Ceausescu.

As a three-term as president, he guided the country toward democracy, but he was called an authoritarian at heart and accused of brutality during the revolt that put him in power.

Romania's former president Ion Iliescu, who died aged 95 on Tuesday, was long hailed as Romania's "little father" but faced charges over his role in the eastern European nation's chaotic transition