BUCHAREST – President Klaus Iohannis insisted on Monday that he would not leave office until a new president is elected, despite a dispute over his interim status at Cotroceni Palace.
The issue of resignation is being raised for “populist and electoral reasons”, whereas the Constitution is the real issue, as it “clearly states” that “I must remain in office until I hand over the mandate to the newly elected president”, Iohannis told an informal meeting of EU leaders on defence issues in Brussels on Monday.
“I don’t think this is what we should be discussing,” said the president when asked to respond to politicians and citizens who oppose extending his term.
Last year, the president had the lowest approval rating of all Romanian presidents in their last year in office – 16.2%. His approval rating fell even further after the Constitutional Court ruled that he could remain in office until a successor is elected, following the annulment of the first round of the presidential election in November 2024.
The Constitutional Court’s decision has been criticised by many experts, including former Constitutional Court president Augustin Zegrean.
The court’s decision was necessary because the constitution makes no provision for a situation such as the annulment of a presidential election.
According to the Constitution, the president serves a five-year term and remains in office until the newly elected president takes the oath of office.
The constitutional text also stipulates that the president’s term of office can only be extended by an organic law – passed by an absolute majority – in the event of war or disaster.
There were also rumours that Iohannis might resign, with Senate President Ilie Bolojan stepping in as interim leader.
In January, the far-right parties POT, AUR, and SOS tried to initiate a parliamentary procedure to impeach the president. They collected the necessary signatures, but the joint permanent offices of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate rejected the proposal to suspend Klaus Iohannis on Saturday, citing procedural violations.
Had the procedure reached the full parliament, it would have been supported by MPs from the centre-right USR party.
USR leader Elena Lasconi criticised Iohannis’s statement on Monday, saying that it would only further inflame people who are “frustrated and angry” and add one or two percentage points to the “isolationists”.
At a press conference, she described Iohannis as an “illegitimate” president. “I think even Ceaușescu wasn’t as hated as Klaus Iohannis is,” Lasconi said.
Lasconi has repeatedly criticised the annulment of the first round of the election, as she came second and believes she could have defeated pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu in the second round.
On Monday, the president acknowledged that many people were “angry” that the elections had not produced a result. “Unfortunately, that’s how it turned out. That’s why I believe it’s even more important now for institutions to prepare very seriously for the elections that will take place in May,” Iohannis said.
(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
Source: Euractiv.com
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