Former President Ion Iliescu Diagnosed with Pericarditis – Sources

The former head of state was hospitalized in a Bucharest cardiovascular diseases institute after feeling ill on Monday.

A spokesman for Bucharest’s Elias Hospital, where Iliescu initially checked in for a medical examination on Monday, said that he was not in a serious condition.

The disease’s treatment varies according to its causes, and its more complicated forms could require surgery. Knowledgeable sources told MEDIAFAX that doctors were still considering whether to perform surgery on the former president, who previously underwent stent surgery two decades ago.

Ion Iliescu was the first elected president of Romania following the fall of communism, in 1990, and following the adoption of a new Constitution he served two further terms between 1992-1996 and 2000-2004. He retired from politics in 2008.