What was Nicolae Ceausescu’s salary? It is a great shame for today’s politicians

A former finance minister revealed what Nicolae Ceauşescu’s salary was, as state leader. The amount represented the lowest presidential income in the entire world. For today’s politicians, it would be a great shame. Find out in the lines below what the “First Lady” of communist Romania earns.

What was Nicolae Ceausescu’s salary?

Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu was considered extremely wealthy, with many estimates estimating that he enjoyed a net worth of billions of dollars. It was, however, difficult to determine exactly how much money the former president of Romania had, as a large part of it is said to have been placed in secret accounts or invested.

From 1965 to 1989, Nicolae Ceaușescu led an excessively rich life, while most Romanians lived in poverty. The former communist leader and his life partner, Elena Ceaușescu, had access to a vast range of resources and assets, including palaces and luxurious residences. He had unlimited access to numerous benefits.

Although he was considered one of the presidents with the greatest wealth in the world at that time, a former finance minister revealed what Nicolae Ceaușescu’s salary was. The amount was the lowest he received for the position he held at the time, compared to other state leaders.

“Ceaușescu had a salary of 12,000 lei and a 3,000 management allowance. In total, 15,000. That was exactly what he was getting in the envelope. Almost $800. It was the lowest salary in the world for a president”, revealed the former Minister of Finance Petre Gigea.

How much money did Elena Ceaușescu earn

At the same time, Nicolae Ceaușescu’s life partner collected 14,900 lei, as first deputy prime minister. In addition to the amount in question, he received 5,900 lei per month for the position of director of the Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry. At the end of the month, Elena Ceaușescu had an income of almost 20,800 lei, a little over 1,000 dollars.

In 1985, an employee in Romania had, on average, a salary of 2,827 lei. In the heyday of mining, an engineer earned up to 4,900 lei, and an agricultural worker up to 4,000 lei. In 1989, the average net income was worth almost 3,000 lei.

In the top of the employees of the time, journalists, chemical engineers, pilots and accountants earned the best, according to the jobs mentioned. An accountant earns about 3,500 lei per month. Waiters earned the least, with a monthly income of 1,865 lei.