Romania President Klaus Iohannis resigns ahead of election re-run


PA Media President of Romania Klaus IohannisPA Media

Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has resigned following pressure for him to step down ahead of a re-run of a presidential election that was controversially cancelled last year.

The December vote was voided by Romania’s top court after allegations of Russian state meddling.

The outgoing Iohannis, a pro-EU liberal, had said he would stay on in office until a successor was elected in May.

But that had been strongly criticised by far-right politicians and their supporters, who had performed well in the first round of the vote in December.

Their criticism had inspired tens of thousands of Romanians to take to the streets last month in protest against the election’s cancellation.

Opposition lawmakers had launched a motion in parliament again on Monday to move for the president’s suspension.

In response, Iohannis said he would step down, in a bid to limit what he said would have been be a “damaging” and divisive referendum for the country.

“In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from crisis… I resign from the office of president of Romania,” he said. He said he would officially stand down on Wednesday.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Tamil Nadu teens capture India’s labourers in pictures

    Nandhini Vellaisamy BBC Tamil Sheik Hasan K The students captured labourers at work, including a woman working in a turmeric factory The elderly woman gazes wistfully into the distance, her…

    Does Kyiv think a ceasefire would work?

    The BBC has been speaking to people in Kyiv to find out whether people in the Ukrainian capital believe a ceasefire deal could be a step towards ending the war…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Russian forces closing in on Ukrainian troops in Kursk, official says

    Russian forces closing in on Ukrainian troops in Kursk, official says

    Vance hopeful ‘high-level’ TikTok deal will be completed by early April

    Radiohead digs up rare footage of 1995 Toronto show to mark 30 years since The Bends

    Radiohead digs up rare footage of 1995 Toronto show to mark 30 years since The Bends

    ‘Open’ model licenses often carry concerning restrictions

    ‘Open’ model licenses often carry concerning restrictions

    75 years of innovation: How F1 has evolved since 1950 and where it's headed

    75 years of innovation: How F1 has evolved since 1950 and where it's headed

    The Best Streaming Service Free Trials in 2025

    The Best Streaming Service Free Trials in 2025