President Klaus Iohannis stated on Monday that he will remain in office until he hands over the mandate to the newly elected president, as the Constitution dictates.
„This is a topic circulated for populist and electoral reasons. We operate according to the Constitution, and when I was elected, over 6 million Romanians voted for me to do things by the book, and the book is the Constitution, which clearly states that I must stay until I hand over the mandate to the newly elected president. And I don’t think we should talk about that.
Anyway, I will leave in a few months. I stand by what I have done. Now we are preparing for elections. Romanians need to choose a president, that's the topic we should discuss. I don't see it useful to debate whether I should have stayed or not.
Candidates and those interested in Romania should step forward and say what they want to do for Romania, how they want to take Romania forward, and what Romanians can expect from them in the coming years. These are the topics that, in my opinion, are important, and it would be very useful to focus on them," said Iohannis when asked how he responds to those asking for his resignation.
- Kelemen Hunor says Iohannis should have stepped down on December 22 and let Bolojan take over: He didn't want to
- Elena Lasconi: Klaus Iohannis, illegal tenant at Cotroceni for 23 days. He remains in office and does nothing
- Parliament leadership rejects proposal to suspend President Klaus Iohannis
Regarding the Venice Commission's report on the annulment of the elections, which states that such a measure should be taken under exceptional circumstances and not solely based on classified information, Iohannis stated that it is crucial to understand how we got here.
"In the Constitution, the Constitutional Court validates or invalidates the presidential elections. I hear voices in public saying that someone needs to come and explain. What happened is very clearly stated in the reasoning published by the Constitutional Court. There we can read why the Court made this decision.
The Venice Commission analyzed and produced a document that essentially makes some proposals on how such issues should be addressed if, personally, I hope it doesn't happen again. It is the role of Parliament to take over the document and see where certain legislative changes are appropriate.
I believe that many people are frustrated that these elections did not yield a result. Unfortunately, it was not the case. I think it is now much more important to prepare much better for the elections that will take place in May," said Iohannis.
- Venice Commission's first position on the annulment of elections
- What could be the effect of the Venice Commission's opinion beyond absurdities
Klaus Iohannis is participating on Monday in the informal meeting of European Union leaders on defense issues, which will take place in Brussels at the invitation of the President of the European Council, António Costa.
This is the first official activity on the state chief's agenda since December 30, 2024, when he received a delegation led by Christopher Coons, a senator from the United States, News.ro reports.
What he says about Antonescu's candidacy
When asked about his view on Crin Antonescu's candidacy, given that "sovereignists" are gaining ground, President Klaus Iohannis said that "each candidate has their chance, but they must use it,"
"Each candidate has their chances, but they must use them. I hope that this campaign will lead to an election that gives Romania a president who maintains the European line and takes Romania further towards development," Iohannis added.