Bucharest, Romania – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation on Monday after the prefabricated pressure of populist opposition groups, two months after the highest court canceled the presidential election in the EU country.
“In order to spare Romania from this crisis, I resigned as the president of Romania,” he said in an emotional address, adding that he would leave his duty on February 12th.
Iohannis, 65, has held the president’s role since 2014 and served as a maximum of two five -year mandates. But his Presidency was extended in December after the Constitutional Court canceled the presidential race two days before the run on December 8th.
Inquam Photos/Oc all Ganea/Reuters
This followed after the extreme right -wing populist Calin Georgescu unexpectedly won in the first round because there were charges of Russian interference and election violations.
Several opposition parties, including the ultimate right of the Romanian Unity (AUR), a nationalist sauce party and a youth party, as well as some members of the Reformist Party of the Romanian Union (USR), have sought Iohannis’ Execution through A request submitted to parliament. Several lawmakers from the ruling coalition were expected to vote for the benefit.
“This is a useless endeavor because, in any case, I will leave my duty in a few months after the election of the new president,” Iohannis said. “It is an unfounded move because I never – never repeat, never violated the Constitution. And that is a harmful effort because … everyone loses and no one gets.”
He added that the consequences of his ejection were “long-lasting and very negative” for Romania, an EU member since 2007, and a NATO member since 2004. “None of our partners will understand why Romania rejects its president when the process rejects the process when the process to choose a new president has already started,” he said.
After the resignation announcement, the conflicts broke out between supporters of Georgescu and the police in front of the government building in the capital, Bucharest and tear gas to dispel the protesters.
Inquam Photos/George Calin/Reuters
The new dates were set to restart the presidential vote with the first round scheduled for May 4. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the ballot, the runoff would be held two weeks later, May 18. It is not yet clear whether it is clear whether Georgescu will be able to participate in a new election.
Georgescu called Ioahnnis resignation “With the victory for the people of Romania” and called for a continuation of the presidential election from the second round.
Although the temporary president has not yet been appointed, the Senate President should fulfill the role of the acting president, who comes with limited powers. If they are not in the condition, the next is the president of the Chamber of Representatives, according to the Constitution.
Cristian Andrei, a political advisor based in Bucharest, says Iohannis stepped down for Romania better than going to a referendum that would “help the populists even more”, but in any case, “populists can say they won.”
“The resignation will not magically stop great dissatisfaction … and uncertainty about coalition in power and the list of presidential candidates will now grow,” he said. “A fragile political status quo has changed.”
Iohannis’s departure, a symbolic victory for the ultimate right -wing politicians of Romania, is also part of a much wider trend throughout the region and the entire European continent according to populist parties. Even in European countries that were even worse suffering under Nazi Germany, including Austria, Poland and Germany, populist, nationalist and anti -immigration parties they have gained a significant influence During the last decade.
In some European capital, it was concerned that the trend would be clear by the director of President Trump in November and his politics against European governments during his second term.
Mr. Trump’s close advisor Elon Musk was drawing control Recently speaking to a large group of supporters of the end right -wing party in Germany, just before the Holocaust Remembrance Day, that it “focused too much on past guilt”, and their state should “go to it”.
Elena Lasconi from the USR, who was supposed to face Georgescu in a runoff, said in a statement that the resignation of Iohannis came “too late to be considered honorable.”
“I am glad that the USR pressure endured in Parliament awakened Iohannis from his dream and we would not stop here,” she said. “We need to reconcile state institutions so that they work for citizens, not the temporary figures in power.”
She added, “We need the truth, justice and an authentic leader who can firmly focus us to the west!”
George Simion, the leader of the Aur party, wrote in the post on X: “Uzurpar finally has no”, adding that “if he had not resigned, he would have abolished him (Romanian) Parliament and ejected.”
