In a brief speech outlining the negative effects his suspension would have on Romania, Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation, thus putting an end to a period of uncertainty following the cancellation of the presidential elections.
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His resignation comes after the initiation of suspension procedures in the Romanian Parliament, where extremist parties, supported by USR as well, have gathered enough votes to bring the motion to the plenary session.
According to political sources, several PSD and PNL parliamentarians may have voted for Klaus Iohannis' suspension, so there is a real possibility that over 233 parliamentarians may express themselves against the president, the simple majority needed for his dismissal.
With the danger of suspension being real, Klaus Iohannis has decided to leave the Cotroceni Palace sooner than announced, wanting to remain in office until the new president is installed following the elections on May 18.
Thus ends the journey of the fourth head of state elected after the 1989 Revolution, who came to power on a wave of enthusiasm from liberal and progressive urban voters and the diaspora, and who leaves crushed by the dissatisfaction of the citizens, accusing him of trampling on all the trust with which he was invested.
"Today, in the Romanian Parliament, the procedure for the suspension of the President has been set in motion. It is a futile endeavor because, in any case, in a few months, I will leave office after the new president is elected. It is an unfounded endeavor because I have never - I repeat, never - violated the Constitution. And it is a harmful endeavor because everyone loses from this, no one wins," stated Klaus Iohannis.
Călin Georgescu, an unknown candidacy
With his resignation, Romania enters a new stage, full of convulsions, where citizens are called upon to elect a new president, in an international context full of tension and uncertainty, but also in an internal one marked by the crisis caused by the cancellation of the presidential elections, as decided by the CCR.
Immediately after the officialization of Iohannis' departure, Ilie Bolojan, the Senate leader, will become the interim president, and new elections must be organized within 90 days, the dates set by the Government, May 4 and 18, falling within the period provided by the Constitution.
The political context in Romania is a complicated one. Călin Georgescu, the candidate who won the first round of elections following an illegal electoral campaign, as per the CCR decision, continues to promote himself, without any indication from the authorities regarding his potential re-entry into the race.
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Furthermore, the ruling coalition of PSD-PNL-UDMR has decided to support Crin Antonescu in the upcoming presidential elections.
In the USR area, Elena Lasconi, the party's president, who also made it to the canceled presidential final, obtaining 1.7 million votes, and Nicușor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, have announced their desire to run for president.
An opportunity for Ilie Bolojan
Iohannis' announcement will change the entire political landscape, with the possibility that both PSD and PNL will go into elections with their own candidate.
It should not be excluded that Ilie Bolojan's arrival at the Cotroceni Palace represents for him the opportunity to reach an important platform from which he can unite the pro-European political forces in our country, thus obtaining solid support for his own presidential candidacy.
Additionally, Iohannis' departure may cause a shockwave in the Government, where Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu's position is wavering due to his association with the Nordis scandal.
Iohannis' resignation, though expected, has also brought relief to the public opinion, as well as a revival of political competition that could even lead to an unwanted governmental crisis.