Romania’s Iohannis announces bid for second term as president

BUCHAREST: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced yesterday he will run for a second term at next year’s election, amid rumors that the left-wing ruling coalition wants to impeach him for violating the constitution. “I’m firmly determined to run for a new term as President of Romania,” he said during a visit to the central city of Sibiu, his electoral stronghold. His decision comes at a time of political turmoil, with the ruling coalition reportedly considering the possibility of impeaching him for delaying the dismissal of a top anti-corruption prosecutor.

In a victory for the government, the Constitutional Court ordered the president to sack Laura Kovesi, but Iohannis’ appeal for more time to consider the judgment has angered the party. Iohannis, an ethnic German who hails from the centre-right, became president in 2014 for a five year term after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. Like much of the opposition, he accuses the ruling Social Democratic Party of attempting to weaken the fight against corruption in Romania, puting pressure on the judicial system and of implementing bad fiscal policies.

The party’s controversial amendments to justice laws and the penal code have provoked street protests in the country. Tensions on the political scene flared this week after chief of PSD Liviu Dragnea, widely acknowledged as the most powerful politician in the country, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in a fake jobs scandal. The decision came from the Supreme Court and can be appealed.