Romanian President Iohannis Klaus resigned from his post on Monday to avoid what he called a political crisis due to alleged Russian election interference.
President Iohannis issued a press statement announcing his resignation. He will leave office on February 12, 2025. As the decision to suspend the Romanian president has been set in motion in Parliament, Iohannis argues that a possible referendum to dismiss the president would cause a political crisis in Romania. According to the Romanian president, the initiation of such a procedure in Parliament would bring about division among citizens and negativity amidst ongoing elections. Iohannis added that a referendum would limit discussions on the future of Romania.
In the press statement, Iohannis also criticized the opposition’s move to initiate a procedure to suspend the president. On February 5, the Young People’s Party (POT) and the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) submitted their signatures to suspend President Iohannis Klaus. This was the third attempt by the opposition to commence a request in favour of the president’s resignation. Iohannis called this move both unfounded and damaging, as he claims he did not breach the Romanian Constitution.
The recent Romanian presidential elections have caused political instability in the country. In December 2024, the Romanian Constitutional Court decided to halt the presidential elections as President Iohannis declassified internal intelligence documents indicating Russian interference with the elections. This occurred as the first round of elections was previously tilted in favour of Călin Georgescu, an independent pro-Putin candidate. The Constitutional Court’s decision was met with criticism by some parties, resulting in the requests for resignation against Iohannis.
The elections in Romania also faced allegations of interference from online platforms such as TikTok. In addition, international bodies such as the Council of Europe were called to review the Constitutional Court’s decision. In January 2025, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission released a report on the legal standards necessary to invalidate elections, leading to ongoing discussions on the elections in Romania.