Romanian right-wing groups have gathered enough signatures to initiate the removal of current President Klaus Iohannis, who continues to fulfill his presidential duties amid the relaunch of elections.
The right-wing populist Youth Party (POT), which supported the controversial independent candidate Kelin Georgescu, announced that, together with the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and SOS Party led by Diana Şoşoacă, they collected 161 signatures (exceeding the required 155) to demand Iohannis’s removal and submitted them to Parliament.
According to the parties, members of POT and AUR signed the initiative in full, while SOS Party contributed 39 signatures.
“Klaus Iohannis is illegitimately holding the office, he appointed an illegitimate government, which in turn implements unjust taxes and measures,” stated Anamaria Gavrile, leader of the Youth Party.
As explained by Digi24, the next step is for the initiative to pass through Parliament, where the heads of both chambers will set a date for review. On that date, parliamentary hearings will be held, and the president can attend to defend himself.
Following the hearings, the motion to remove the president will be submitted to the Constitutional Court, which will provide an advisory opinion on its legitimacy. Parliament can choose to proceed with or abandon further consideration regardless of the court’s opinion.
The motion will then go to the main parliamentary review and voting. To remove the president, 234 votes are required.
If enough votes are gathered, the president’s powers will transfer to the Chairperson of the Senate, and within 30 days, a referendum must be held where citizens can express their agreement or disagreement with the president’s removal. If approval is predominant, presidential elections will be scheduled within 90 days.
