NewsRomanian president resigns amid election turmoil

Romanian president resigns amid election turmoil

Significant changes in Romania. The country's President, Klaus Iohannis, announced his resignation from office on Monday.

Klaus Iohannis, Romania's president, speaks outside a polling station during parliamentary elections, in Bucharest, Romania, on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. In the final days before Romania's parliamentary elections this weekend, the governing parties' leaders both quit, pollsters gave up on projecting the results and the nation's top court cast serious doubt on the integrity of the voting process. Photographer: Andrei Pungovschi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Klaus Iohannis, Romania's president, speaks outside a polling station during parliamentary elections, in Bucharest, Romania, on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. In the final days before Romania's parliamentary elections this weekend, the governing parties' leaders both quit, pollsters gave up on projecting the results and the nation's top court cast serious doubt on the integrity of the voting process. Photographer: Andrei Pungovschi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Images source: © GETTY | Bloomberg

In recent weeks, the capital of Romania, Bucharest, has witnessed demonstrations involving thousands of participants. The participants are demanding a second round of presidential elections.

The constitutional court annulled the elections after the pro-Russian candidate, Calin Georgescu, won the first round on November 24, 2024. This was the largest protest so far against the cancellation of elections.

The Romanian court annulled the presidential elections two days before the second round and ordered the entire electoral process to be repeated. Simultaneously, it mandated that the elections be repeated in full.

The pro-European governing coalition has not yet approved the election calendar, but party leaders have agreed to hold two rounds of elections on May 4 and May 18. Iohannis' term ended on December 21. According to previous assurances, he was supposed to remain in office until a successor was elected.

Source: PAP

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