HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED IN ROMANIA

These events led to the ouster of Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania’s hard-line president and Communist Party chief: Nov. 24--Ceausescu is reappointed to another five-year term and rejects the democratic reforms being adopted elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Dec. 15-16--Protesters ring a church in the western town of Timisoara where authorities want to evict a minister. The minister campaigned for rights of ethnic Hungarians, whose villages were being razed by the government. Dec. 17--Thousands of people join the crowd at the church, and riots occur when authorities try to remove the minister. Police reportedly fire guns and water cannon. Some casualties are reported. Dec. 18--Dozens of deaths are reported in clashes between police and demonstrators in Timisoara. Romania seals its border with Yugoslavia. In spite of the violence, Ceausescu travels to Iran for a state visit. Dec. 19--Shooting and fires are reported in several cities in western Romania. Witnesses say hundreds of protesters may be dead. Soldiers armed with automatic weapons patrol Bucharest streets, and troops surround the capital. Dec. 20--10,000 anti-Ceausescu demonstrators reportedly march unhindered through Timisoara. The government puts troops on a nationwide alert. Ceausescu returns from Iran as scheduled, blaming “fascist, reactionary groups” for the unrest. Witnesses and diplomats say up 2,000 demonstrators may have died. Dec. 21--Security forces supported by tanks attack anti-Ceausescu demonstrations in Bucharest, and 13 people are reported killed in the violence. Dec. 22--News agencies report the military joins with demonstrators to overthrow the government. Ceausescu and his wife fly from the presidential palace by helicopter, and he is later reported to have been arrested.