President Klaus Iohannis resigns from office

The President said he was resigning as a result of the parliamentary attempt to suspend him, a move that would jeopardize Romania's stability.

"Today, in the Romanian Parliament, the procedure to suspend the President was set in motion. It is a useless step because I am leaving office in a few months anyway, after the election of a new president. It is unfounded because I have never, I repeat, I have never violated the Constitution. And it is a damaging approach, because everybody loses, nobody wins. In a few days' time, Romania's Parliament will vote to suspend me and Romania will be in crisis. Romania will be in crisis because the referendum to impeach the president is being called," the president said.

"Internally, the referendum will be eminently negative. Society will be divided, some will agree, some will disagree. The whole discussion will be all about the negative. The whole society will be in turmoil. There will be no more discussion about the upcoming presidential elections. There will be no discussion about how Romania will go forward. The candidates will not even be able to present their ideas in this negative amalgam," the president explained.

"In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from this crisis, from this useless and negative development, I am resigning as President of Romania. I will leave office the day after tomorrow, February 12. God bless Romania!", the president said at the Cotroceni Palace.

Ilie Bolojan, president of the Senate, will become president of Romania, with limited powers, and will act as interim president until the election of a new president, which will take place in May, the first round on May 4 and the second on May 18.