Nicolae Militaru | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 76th Minister of National Defense of Romania | |
| In office 26 December 1989 – 16 February 1990 | |
| Prime Minister | Petre Roman |
| Preceded by | Victor Stănculescu (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Victor Stănculescu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1925-11-10)10 November 1925 |
| Died | 27 December 1996(1996-12-27) (aged 71) |
| Political party | Romanian Communist Party |
| Alma mater | Frunze Military Academy |
| Profession | Military officer, communist politician |
| Military service | |
| Rank | General of the army |
| Commands | 3rd Army (1965–1969) 2nd Army (1969–1978) |
Nicolae Militaru (10 November 1925 – 27 December 1996) was aRomanian soldier and communist politician. Rising to the rank of general by the 1960s, his ties to the Soviet Union led dictatorNicolae Ceaușescu to question his loyalty and sideline Militaru in 1978. He re-emerged during theRomanian Revolution, when he was madeDefense Minister, serving for nearly two months before street pressure forced his dismissal. Days after Ceaușescu’s execution, he was advanced togeneral of the army. His final public act came in 1996, when Militaru ran forPresident, barely registering any support.
Born inBălești,Gorj County, Militaru joined theRomanian Communist Party (PCR) in 1945,[1] entering theRomanian Land Forces that October.[2] He attended theM. V. Frunze Military Academy inMoscow from 1952 to 1956. Upon graduation, he became a lieutenant colonel in theRomanian Land Forces and was appointed chief of staff of the 10th Infantry Division, stationed inIași, after which he commanded the 2nd Mechanized Division, stationed inCraiova. Promoted to major general in March 1961, he served as chief of staff of the3rd Army inCluj from 1961 to 1965.[3]: 12 From 1965 to 1969, he served as commanding officer of the 3rd Army.[4][5] He then commanded the2nd Army (headquartered inBucharest) from 1969 to 1978, attaining the rank of colonel general in 1974.[1][6] He sat on the PCR’s central committee as an alternate member from 1974 to 1984. From 1969 to 1975, he representedGurahonț,Arad County in theGreat National Assembly.[1]
In 1978, under suspicion for being aGRU agent and for plotting against dictatorNicolae Ceaușescu, he was retired from active duty and made an assistant to the Industrial Constructions Minister, remaining until 1984.[6][1] ASecuritate plot to depose Ceaușescu existed in the early 1980s, and he is known to have joined in 1984, adding an Army dimension.[7] Following the rise ofMikhail Gorbachev in 1985, Militaru requested the Soviet leader's backing for an anti-Ceaușescucoup d'état; this was rejected.[8]
On 24 December 1989, during theRomanian Revolution, Militaru was already in charge of the heavily guarded Defense Ministry when a controversial incident took place.[9][10] According to a narrative put forward by formerSecuritate agents, he luredUSLA military counterintelligence agents into an ambush and ensured the group was headed by ColonelGheorghe Trosca [ro] and Major Eugen Cotuna since they had compromising information on Militaru's alleged GRU ties; the pair ended up killed. However, during 1990, army officers in the military's own press cast doubt on a story that was widely reported in civilian newspapers, alleging it was aSecuritate diversion effectively spread by agents who had infiltrated the regular press.[9]
On 26 December, in the Revolution's immediate aftermath, the new leader,Ion Iliescu, formally named him Defense Minister.[6] Two days later, Iliescu issued a decree promoting Militaru to the rank of general of the army.[11] As minister, Militaru recalled to active duty some thirty officers, most of whom had received active training in the Soviet Union. Other officers became increasingly uneasy and a pro-reform group,Comitetul de Acțiune pentru Democratizarea Armatei (CADA, Action Committee for the Democratization of the Army) emerged on 12 February 1990. The following day over a thousand soldiers and officers assembled inBucharest,[12] and Militaru was dismissed on 16 February, replaced by GeneralVictor Stănculescu.[6] He ran in the1996 presidential election, winning 0.22% of the vote but died of cancer the following month.[6]
| Election | Affiliation | First round | Second round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percentage | Position | Votes | Percentage | Position | ||
| 1996 | Independent | 28,318 | 0.2% | 16th | |||