Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. Presidential candidate Antonescu: For the sake of democracy,...

Presidential candidate Antonescu: For the sake of democracy, president Iohannis should have resigned

February 20, 2025

The presidential candidate of the PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition (Social Democratic Party, National Liberal Party, Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania), Crin Antonescu, on Tuesday stated that president Klaus Iohannis should have terminated his mandate as soon as the new Parliament was configured, in the context in which "he doesn't at least communicate with the people.""For the sake of democracy, stability and a minimum trust that is needed between a majority of the people in a country and the government, yes, it would have been better if Mr. Iohannis would have left the Cotroceni Palace as soon as his normal term in office ended, on December 21, immediately after the new Parliament was configured and the Government sworn in," Antonescu told Antena 3 public television channel.He stated that, otherwise, the fact that the head of state continues at the Cotroceni Palace is legal."Mr. Iohannis still being at the Palace (...) is legal, since there is a decision of the Constitutional Court in this sense. What is questionable instead is his legitimacy and it would have been better that, as soon as the Parliament was in place and established its leadership, and immediately after the Government was sworn in, regardless of the fact that the PM it's the same, it would have been better if the office of president would have passed to an interim, who is, according to the Constitution, the president of the Senate. And this is not even the only problem, because the real problem is not that the president stayed, but the problem is that president Iohannis doesn't even communicate with the people, in the context in which such communication is needed more than ever," Antonescu said.He opined that Romania confronts with "all the elements of a political crisis with important reverberations in the society.""This is a crisis because the Romanian state, these days, and for a while now, after the annulment [of the elections - editor's note] looks like it has no leader," said Crin Antonescu.The former chair of PNL also aded that the Government is under "a huge pressure.""The Government is under a huge pressure not just because of the budgetary difficulties, and not just because of the public suspicion it is facing (...), but there is also this fact, which translates into an even higher pressure - and we will see if it can do it - there is this other dimension where the president should have played an essential role, namely in the foreign affairs area. Since we have already spoken earlier (...) about all these new events, which don't seem to fit in the framework we are used to, about the changes of discourse, at least for now, at the White House, the change of regime there. Because I believe that we can talk of a change of regime, although not about the change of the democratic regime, of course, but a very strong presidency and, under many aspects, a very new style of presidency, which comes with big challenges and big changes. And all these things need an answer, a reaction. There are things happening in Europe, there are effects that we can see, already. (....) And the fact that we do not have a leader right now is not for the good," said Antonescu.   

Read in full - click here
Bucharest to host second stage of International Grand Chess Tour

The second stage of the international Grand Chess Tour, one of the most important chess tournaments in the world, will take place in Bucharest from May 7 to May 16.  The first stage of will take place in Warsaw, Poland. However, the event’s opening will take place on May 6. In addition to these two, […]

Voxxed Days Bucharest 2025, Conference Day. AI, Purpose, and Building the Future of Tech in Romania

Voxxed Days Bucharest 2025 concluded the 2025 edition on 27th March, after two days of successful workshops and conferences.  "I'm grateful we managed to bring together 300 developers and tech team leaders again this year, in a conference dedicated to a passionate developer community. It was a significantly bigger effort than in previous years, given […]

Report: Civil protection shelters in Romania in poor state, could only fit 600,000

Romania’s civil shelters, which are to be used to protect people in the event of armed conflict, are few, unsanitary, and largely obsolete in terms of equipment, according to a report by the Court of Accounts. The audit conducted by the Court of Accounts on the situation of civil...

Untold organizers announce 'mega-festival' in Bucharest this year

The organizers of music festivals Untold and Neversea have signed an agreement with the Bucharest City Hall to organize a "mega-festival" in the capital this year. The large-scale project is set for a pilot edition this year, with plans to have it "grow year by year." It will take place at Arena Naţională. The talks […]

Over half of Romanians in urban areas targeted by online fraud, research shows

Around 61% of Romanians say they have been the target of online fraud attempts, the most common consequences being the infection of the device with malware or viruses (42%) and the loss of money (30%), according to the latest study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research. Of those who have been targeted, 39% have experienced such […]

Showpad opens R&D Hub in Bucharest

Showpad, active in AI-driven revenue enablement technology, announced the official launch of its Research and Development center in Bucharest. With headquarters in Ghent (Belgium) and Chicago (US), Showpad is "strategically positioning its new R&D center to tap into the rich talent pool and burgeoning technology ecosystem of Romania." It also underscores Showpad's dedication to accelerating […]