Romanian President announces resignation amid impeachment threat
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis (Photo: Getty Images)
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis resigned from his position ahead of a planned impeachment by far-right opposition parliamentary parties. He stated that his resignation would take effect in two days, Digi24 reports.
Iohannis explained his decision, saying it was motivated by a desire to avoid an internal and external crisis that could result from his removal from office.
In a press statement, Iohannis announced his resignation from the presidency of Romania.
"Today, the procedure for the removal of the president began in the Romanian Parliament. This is a futile step, as in any case, I will leave my position in a few months after the election of a new president," he said.
He added that his impeachment would lead to a crisis in the country. "In a few days, the Romanian parliament will vote on my removal, and Romania will enter a crisis. Romania will enter a crisis due to the launch of the impeachment vote. All these efforts will have consequences both inside and outside the country," he said.
According to him, the vote will have an extremely negative effect within the country. "Society will be divided: some will agree, others will not. The entire discussion will focus solely on the negative. The entire society will be stunned. There will be no more discussions about the upcoming presidential elections," the president added.
The Romanian Parliament will consider on February 11 at a joint plenary session at 10:00 AM the request for the removal of President Klaus Iohannis, submitted by the opposition and approved by the joint standing bureaus of the two chambers. The leadership of both chambers decided to hold a joint session to discuss the proposal to remove the President of Romania from office.
