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Klaus Iohannis

His Excellency
Klaus Iohannis
Iohannis in 2022
6th President of Romania
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 December 2014
Prime Minister
See full list
Preceded byTraian Băsescu
Mayor of Sibiu
In office
30 June 2000 – 2 December 2014
Preceded byDan Condurat
Succeeded byAstrid Fodor
Leader of the National Liberal Party
In office
28 June 2014 – 18 December 2014
Preceded byCrin Antonescu
Succeeded byAlina Gorghiu
Vasile Blaga
Leader of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania
In office
2002–2013
Preceded byEberhard Wolfgang Wittstock
Succeeded byPaul-Jürgen Porr
Personal details
Born
Klaus Werner Iohannis

(1959-06-13) 13 June 1959 (age 65)
Sibiu, Socialist Republic of Romania
Political partyIndependent (2014-2024)[a]
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (1990–2013)
National Liberal Party (2013–2014)
Spouse
​
(m. 1989)​
ResidenceCotroceni Palace
EducationBabeș-Bolyai University (BSc)
Signature
a. ^ PNL membership suspended while president[1]

Klaus Werner Iohannis, German: Klaus Werner Johannis (Romanian: [ˈkla.us joˈhanis], German: [ˈklaʊs joˈhanɪs]; born 13 June 1959) is a Romanian politician, physicist, and former physics teacher who has been serving as the sixth president of Romania since 2014.

He became the president of the National Liberal Party (PNL) in 2014, after previously serving as the leader of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR) between 2002 and 2013. Prior to entering national politics, he was a physics teacher at the Samuel von Brukenthal National College in his native Sibiu.

He was first elected the mayor of the Romanian town of Sibiu, Transylvania in 2000, on behalf of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR). Although the German (more specifically Transylvanian Saxon) population of the once predominantly German/Transylvanian Saxon-speaking town of Sibiu had declined to a tiny minority by the early 2000s, he won a surprise victory and was re-elected by landslides in 2004, 2008, and 2012. He is credited with turning his home town into one of Romania's most popular tourist destinations, Sibiu subsequently obtaining the title of European Capital of Culture in 2007 alongside Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.

In October 2009, four of the five political groups in the Parliament, excluding the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) of then President Traian Băsescu, proposed him as a candidate for the office of Prime Minister of Romania; however, Băsescu refused to nominate him despite the Parliament's adoption of a declaration supporting his candidacy.[2] He was again the candidate for Prime Minister of the PNL and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the elections in the same year.[3] In February 2013, He became a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), accepting an invitation from then liberal leader Crin Antonescu, and was immediately elected the party's first vice-president, eventually becoming the PNL president during the following year.

Ideologically a conservative,[4][5][6][7] he is the first Romanian president belonging to an ethnic minority, as he is a Transylvanian Saxon, part of Romania's German minority, which settled in Transylvania beginning in the 12th century (as part of the Ostsiedlung process which took place during the High Middle Ages).[8] He was initially elected in 2014 and then subsequently re-elected by a landslide in 2019.

His late presidency (his second term) has been marked by democratic backsliding[9] as well as a slight shift towards illiberalism[10] and a more authoritarian[11] style of government, especially after the 2021 political crisis and the formation of the National Coalition for Romania (CNR).[12] It has faced allegations of suppression of freedom of speech and also suppression of press freedom.[13][14] Furthermore, his approval ratings have decreased since April 2021 onwards as his electorate's trust in him declined based on his political behaviour, favouring the PSD and rebuffing his former political allies (albeit several of them being solely conjunctural in the past) in the process. In 2023, The Economist ranked Romania the last country in the European Union (EU) in the world terms of democracy,[15][16] even behind Viktor Orbán's Hungary.[17][18][19][20][21] Moreover, as of 2022, Romania ranks 61st globally according to The Economist Democracy Index (on par with Montenegro), 5 positions behind Hungary and still lagging behind Botswana since at least 2021 onwards.[22][a] A survey from June 2023 shows that over 90% of Romanians do not trust Iohannis, with only 8% having a positive opinion on him.[24]

  1. ^ Andi Manciu (18 December 2014). "Iohannis: Mi-am anunțat demisia din PNL. Mulțumesc pentru că am avut onoarea să fiu președintele PNL". Mediafax.ro (in Romanian).
  2. ^ "Romanian opposition demands new PM". Euronews. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  3. ^ "National minorities in Romania's Parliament support Mircea Geoana's candidacy for runoff presidential election – FINANCIARUL – ultimele stiri din Finante, Banci, Economie, Imobiliare si IT". 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  4. ^ C, A. (21 November 2019). "HANDELSBLATT: Cu un preşedinte conservator, românii speră într-un viitor mai bun | Agenția de presă Rador". Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Conservative Klaus Iohannis wins re-election as Romania's president". 26 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Exit Poll Shows Romania's Iohannis Wins 2nd Term in Runoff". VOA. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Surprise Presidential Victory for Romania's Klaus Iohannis". NDTV.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  8. ^ Valentina Pop (17 November 2014). "Romanians elect first ethnic German president". EUobserver.
  9. ^ "Romania: Nations in Transit 2022 Country Report". freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  10. ^ Grădinaru, Magda (11 August 2023). "Cei doi mari câștigători ai protestelor din 10 august". Spotmedia.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  11. ^ Ghinea, Cristian (4 December 2023). "[P] Democrația moare în liniște. Cum instaurează triada Klaus Iohannis - Eduard Hellvig - Marcel Ciolacu un regim siloviki în România". HotNews (in Romanian). Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  12. ^ Pantazi, Cristian (28 September 2022). "România sub anestezie generală. Banii de la PSD și PNL distrug accelerat libertatea de exprimare". G4 Media (in Romanian). Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  13. ^ "45 de ONG-uri critică reacția președintelui Iohannis în cazul legilor securității: "Un atac la adresa avertizorilor de integritate și a libertății presei"". 10 June 2022.
  14. ^ Tăpălagă, Dan (7 June 2022). "Un președinte fără busolă. Klaus Iohannis și "oamenii îngrijorați", atac grav la libertatea presei și la G4Media.ro". G4 Media (in Romanian). Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  15. ^ Report eiu.com
  16. ^ "Romania, last among EU countries in the Economist's annual Democracy Index". 3 February 2023.
  17. ^ "România, cea mai slabă democrație din Uniunea Europeană. "Societatea noastră este prinsă într-un cerc vicios"". 2 February 2023.
  18. ^ Liberă, Europa (2 February 2023). "Indexul democrației: România e pe ultimul loc în UE". Europa Liberă România.
  19. ^ "The Economist: România are o democrație "deficitară" și este pe ultimul loc în rândul țărilor UE". Euronews Romania (in Romanian). 2 February 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  20. ^ Pricop, Sebastian (2 February 2023). "România are o democrație "deficitară" și e pe ultimul loc în UE, potrivit clasamentului anual realizat de the Economist". Libertatea (in Romanian). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  21. ^ Anton, Christian (2 February 2023). "The Economist: România, pe ultimul loc în UE la capitolul democrație. Care sunt cele mai consolidate democrații din lume". Știrile PRO TV (in Romanian). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  22. ^ Daniel Ionașcu (16 February 2021). "Indicele Democrației în 2020: România, pe locul 62, cu cel mai mic scor la "cultură politică". Botswana și Mongolia, peste noi". Libertatea (in Romanian). Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Emil Hurezeanu: Ați pierdut în Zimbabwe! Klaus Iohannis: Dar poate am câștigat în Botswana!". Digi24.ro. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Klaus Iohannis a pierdut complet încrederea românilor! Are un nivel de 90% dezaprobare. Sondaj CURS". Capital (in Romanian). 26 June 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.


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