New President of Romania

After 10 years as President of Romania, Traian Basescu left the office, which will be held by Klaus Iohannis.

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Ştefan Stoica, 22.12.2014, 13:28

A former Mayor of Sibiu, Klaus Iohannis left the Transylvanian city to take over as head of the Romanian state. Seen as an outsider ahead of the presidential elections, as too unsophisticated and too civil to cope with the Romanian political jungle, Iohannis was the beneficiary of a massive turnout and of the voters’ negative response to the left-wing parties represented by PM Victor Ponta and perceived as arrogant and corrupt.

And Klaus Iohannis is determined not to disappoint his supporters. In his inauguration speech given on Sunday in Parliament, he promised a completely reformed society, able to eliminate corruption. Klaus Iohannis, whose campaign motto was “a job well done,” pleaded for responsibility and promised to be the first to comply with this requirement:

Klaus Iohannis: “Great expectations may lead to great achievements, and they will, because great expectations mean more responsibility, more effort, more reliability and more work from all of us, starting with me! My goal is for Romania to become, by the end of my term in office, a country with a different mindset, with a different social climate, in which stability, appreciation for true value and calm will have found their place at last.”

The new president also talked about reconfirming Romania’s decisions with respect to the strategic partnership with the USA, to its NATO membership and the privileged relationship with the Republic of Moldova. As far as Romania’s foreign policy is concerned, Iohannis’ presidency will likely carry on the directions set by his predecessor, Traian Basescu. According to the former president, Romania is now, after his two terms in office, a country more secure than ever, with a better economy and a free and efficient judicial system.

Commentators note that Traian Basescu’s decade-long presidency was marked by chronic political scandals and conflicts with most of the political class, resulting in two failed impeachment attempts. However, the same commentators acknowledge Basescu’s merits in protecting prosecutors and judges from political interference. The consequence was an unprecedented strengthening of the anti-corruption campaign. In terms of personal styles, Traian Basescu and Klaus Iohannis could not have been more different from one another. The former president is impulsive, dominating and hardly ever willing to negotiate, whereas Iohannis is calm, thorough and apparently willing to work as part of a team. Only time will show the value of his vision and his strength to see it through.