Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said on Monday that he would resign on Feb. 12, so that the parliament did not have to impeach him.
Iohannis’s presidential mandate came to an end on Dec. 21, 2024.
Since then he has been staying in office until the new head of state is elected, while the election is to take place on May 4.
However, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, the S.O.S Romania party and the Party of Young People (POT) came up with an initiative to gather votes for the president’s resignation.
The parliament was to consider the issue on Feb. 11.
“In a few days, the parliament will vote for my removal from office, and a crisis will begin in Romania, as the referendum on the resignation of the president begins.
To save Romania from this crisis, I resign. I will leave my post the day after tomorrow, on Feb. 12,’’ Iohannis told a news conference.
Later in the day, AUR leader George Simion said on X that if Iohannis had not resigned, the parliament would have impeached him.
He also called Iohannis “the worst and most hated president in Romania’s history.’’
“This is victory! Now the time for the second tour of the presidential election has come,’’ Simion also said on social media.
On Nov. 24, Romania held a presidential election. In the first round, independent candidate Calin Georgescu won with 22.94per cent of the vote.
The leader of the liberal Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, who favors partnership with NATO and the U.S., came in second with 19.18per cent.
The second round of the election was scheduled for Dec. 8.
However, on Dec. 6, the Constitutional Court ruled to cancel the results of the first round, paving the way for a rerun. (RIA/NAN)
