The irony is that his clinging on to power was illegal under the Constitution, but disgraced Romanian president Klaus Iohannis announced today he was stepping down to save the country from becoming the “laughing stock of the whole world”. Maybe he should have thought of that two months ago when he had his henchmen at the Constitutional Court scrap the presidential elections mid-voting.
People are celebrating the news in Victory Square
What happened? What made him resign when only one week ago, speaking in Brussels after an informal meeting with his EU buddies, the same Iohannis was saying there’s no need for him to step down and he’s only following the laws.
For one thing, earlier today, the Romanian Parliament set in motion the procedure to impeach him, which would have been a legal nightmare for all of us. However, the real reason is that the Trump administration seems to be paying close attention to what’s happening in Romania. Trump’s envoy for special missions Richard Grenell is expected in Bucharest in the following days and the guy’s been quite vocal about the political situation here. Last December, local authorities here cancelled the presidential elections citing Russian interference. Yet, Grenell mentioned Romania as a clear example of American interference through USAID and the countless influencers paid with US taxpayers’ money to promote a progressive candidate.
Then there’s Vice-President JD Vance coming to Europe. Officially, he’s taking part in an AI summit, a pretext to meet with various European leaders, including EU president Ursula von der Leyen.
Why is Romania so important? Well, Romania is not all that important per se. What happened here is. Cancelling elections because someone in Brussels is unhappy with the winner sets a very dangerous precedent. If that could happen in one EU member state, it could very well happen elsewhere. Germans go to the polls in two weeks and the current social-democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to lose. Also, Poland has elections scheduled for May. It is worth noting that Polish President Andrzej Duda recently voiced his concern that the EU might try to interfere in the outcome. This is a “real threat to democracy today, the example of Romania shows it very vividly,” Duda said.
“Is it possible that today elections in individual countries – seemingly democratic – can only be won by those who are accepted in Brussels? I have this impression and I don’t like it very much,” Duda said.
Bottom line - what happened in Romania cannot be tolerated and the harm to democracy should be undone. The mood here is optimistic. Best case scenario - we cancel the cancellation by whatever means and pick up where we left, namely the second round which right-wing Calin Georgescu was set to win. From a legal point of view it’s a nightmare, but so was calling off the elections mid-vote. If Romania is to be made an example that the EU cannot dictate who wins an election, it will happen. And quickly. The alternative would be to wait for the rescheduled elections in April/May. But then, it would be too late for Germany or Poland.
Calin Georgescu welcomed the news of the current illegal leader’s stepping down, calling it a victory for the Romanian people. He also called for a return to the rule of law and going back to the second round of elections. Interesting to note that his lawyer announced today she’s been approached by government officials looking for a legal solution to do just that. Back in December, Georgescu was set to win, but now it would be by a landslide. For two months the legacy media threw everything at him. He’s been attacked, quite viciously on a daily basis and his popularity only grew. (Exactly what happened with Donald Trump.) Mainstream media took to calling him ex-candidate, signalling he won’t be allowed to stand again. The rest of us, the majority that is, refer to him as president-elect.
Let’s see what Washington has to say about today’s events in Romania. I am resigned to the fact that our fate is decided elsewhere. Right now I'd rather cast our lot with Trump, rather than von der Leyen. That woman should be in jail.
