In a move to pre-empt a looming impeachment bid, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has announced his resignation today, February 10. The outgoing centrist leader’s decision comes amid a highly polarized political climate and growing far-right influence in the lead-up to the presidential election scheduled for May 4.
Iohannis, who has served as president since 2014, was initially due to leave office after last year’s elections. However, his term was extended when Romania’s Constitutional Court called for a rerun of the presidential vote due to concerns over Russian interference. This followed a dramatic first-round result in November that saw far-right independent candidate Călin Georgescu emerge as a surprise frontrunner.
Despite opposition calls for transparency regarding election security, Iohannis firmly rejected claims that his government had mishandled the process, calling the impeachment motion “unfounded” and “damaging.” “This is a useless endeavor because, in any case, I will leave office in a few months after the election of the new president,” he said in his resignation speech. “It is an unfounded move because I have never — I repeat, never — violated the constitution. And it is a harmful endeavor because … everyone loses, and no one gains.”
With Iohannis stepping down, the president of the Romanian parliament’s upper house, Ilie Bolojan, will assume the role of interim president until the May elections.
