National Salvation Front (Romania)

The National Salvation Front (, FSN) was the governing body of Romania in the first weeks after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, subsequently turned into a political party. FSN is the common root of two of the three largest political parties in Romania today: the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L).

History

Creation and rise to power

In March 1989 six prominent members of the Communist Party wrote an open letter to Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu that criticised his abuses of power and his economic policies. The so-called "Letter of the Six" was circulated in the Western media and read on Radio Free Europe, where it was described as the manifesto of an underground organisation called the National Salvation Front (FSN).

The creation of the FSN was officially announced to the public by Ion Iliescu in radio and TV addresses on December 22, 1989, after the overthrow of Ceauşescu, and took the power from the Communist authorities. Within four days, the FSN formed an interim government, Ion Iliescu being the president and Petre Roman as the interim Prime Minister. The initial membership of FSN came from diverse backgrounds: intellectuals, students, army officers, but the leaders were mostly former communist officials (see List of members of the National Salvation Front Council).

Interim government

On December 27, FSN decreed the abolishment...
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