President Iohannis resigns to avoid political crisis in Romania

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced his early resignation, which will take effect on February 12, according to HotNews.ro.

The politician explained his decision as an effort to prevent a political crisis that could erupt in the country due to his potential removal by parliament.

The statement was made just hours after the Romanian parliament initiated impeachment proceedings against him. All political parties supported the initiative to convene a joint legislative session to vote on Iohannis' dismissal.

Speaking to the press, the president emphasized that he considered this decision "unfounded and harmful" since his actions had not violated the Constitution. However, he noted that a potential vote for his removal could lead to instability both domestically and internationally.

“To spare Romania and its citizens from this unnecessary and destabilizing situation, I have decided to resign,” Iohannis stated. He also expressed concern that the country’s international partners might not understand why Romanian authorities initiated this process so close to the upcoming presidential elections.

According to the official schedule, the parliamentary session to discuss his impeachment was set for February 11. However, following Iohannis’ announcement, this issue is likely to become irrelevant.

Earlier, it was reported that a scandal erupted in Romania during the elections: authorities confiscated $7 million from Bogdan Peștir, who had been supporting a pro-Russian candidate via TikTok, allegedly obtained illegally.

It was also revealed that Romanian military conducted searches for drone debris in the Periprava area near the Danube after Russian strikes on Ukraine, investigating potential crash sites.