Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has officially resigned amid mounting pressure ahead of a scheduled re-run of a presidential election that was controversially annulled last year.
The election, originally set for December, was declared void by the nation’s supreme court due to allegations of interference by Russian state actors.
The pro-European Union liberal president had initially stated his intent to remain in office until a new president could be elected in May. However, this plan faced substantial backlash from far-right politicians and their supporters, particularly after their strong showing in the initial voting stage in December.
Following the upheaval surrounding the election cancellation, large protests erupted last month, with tens of thousands of citizens demonstrating against the ruling. In a parliamentary session on Monday, opposition members introduced a motion to suspend Iohannis from his role.
In light of these events, Iohannis announced his resignation in a bid to avert a “damaging” and divisive situation for the country. He stated, “In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from crisis… I resign from the office of president of Romania.” He confirmed that his official departure would take effect on Wednesday.
