Romania’s outgoing president Klaus Iohannis on Monday resigned in a bid to ease growing political tension two months after a court annulled a flawed presidential election amid reports of interference by Russia.
The decision seemed aimed to defuse political pressure, with public anger at establishment parties boosting a growing far right.
Pro-European Iohannis, who has been in power for more than a decade said he was stepping down effective Feb. 12 “to spare Romania a new political crisis.”
Iohannis’ resignation came as parliament was due to start debates on a motion filed by the opposition, including far-right parties, to suspend him. Any such measure against an outgoing
The president said on Monday he had resigned “to spare Romania a new political crisis.”
Iohannis’ resignation came as parliament was due to debate a motion filed by the nationalist opposition and others to suspend him. He said such a measure against an outgoing president would be “useless” and make Romania “the laughingstock of the world.”
Senate speaker Ilie Bolojan, will take over the duties of the presidency on an interim basis until a successor is elected in the May rerun of elections.
Romania plunged into a political crisis after the unexpected victory of fringe candidate Calin Georgescu in the Nov. 24 first-round ballot. The outcome and the decision to scrap the presidential vote following intelligence reports of Russian meddling and hold a new one deepened the political crisis.
Georgescu, who has denounced NATO and praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, remains a frontrunner for the May election. A few hundred of his supporters protested in Bucharest on Monday.
Crin Antonescu, who is the government coalition’s candidate for the election called Iohannis’ resignation: “a wise decision, the government remains stable, and this resignation is better than going through an impeachment process of an outgoing president.”
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