Ilie Bolojan assumed his duties as interim president

Ilie Bolojan, former president of the Senate, assumed his duties as interim president yesterday after the Constitutional Court took note of Klaus Iohannis' resignation on Tuesday. Before becoming interim president, Ilie Bolojan suspended himself from the PNL, where he held the position of president, a position that was temporarily transferred to Cătălin Predoiu, with the unanimous agreement of the other liberal leaders. Ilie Bolojan went to the Cotroceni Palace yesterday, where he discussed with Klaus Iohannis before taking over the position of interim president of the country. Bolojan's installation as interim president was a simple one, without any protocol, a protocol that was strictly respected as far as the former president of the country was concerned when he permanently left the Cotroceni Palace, even though, according to a recent survey conducted by IRES, Klaus Iohannis still enjoyed the trust of only 8% of Romanian citizens. The red carpet was duly laid by the employees of the Presidential Administration on the pavement in the courtyard of the Cotroceni Palace, the Guard of Honor sang the national anthem, presented the honor to the outgoing president, and responded to his greeting, after being reviewed by Klaus Iohannis.

Finally, the former president of the country said goodbye to the employees of the Presidential Administration with a wave of his hand, stopped for a few seconds in front of the press representatives to thank them for their collaboration, got into the car and left for Sibiu accompanied by another car in which were the employees of the Guard and Protection Service, who, according to the law, will ensure his security until the end of his life.

According to law 406/2001, as former president of the country, Klaus Iohannis benefits from a series of rights and advantages, throughout his life, rights that he would have lost if he had been suspended. These include: free use of a protocol residence, intended for residence, and of a work office, where there is an advisor and a secretary; the incumbent's family members benefit from the right to free use of the former president's residence, only during the incumbent's lifetime and will vacate the residence within 60 days of his death; a monthly allowance in the amount of 75% of the salary granted to the incumbent president, approximately 25,000 lei - an allowance that can be cumulated with other income obtained as salary income or as a pension; free use of a car, as well as security and protection permanently provided by the SPP. The law also stipulates that the former president may undergo, upon request, a complete annual medical check-up, within the Central Military Emergency University Hospital "Dr. Carol Davila".

The moment when Klaus Iohannis stopped in front of journalists is a suggestive one, which reflects the way in which the former president understood to collaborate with the press during his mandates at Cotroceni. He was not asked questions, he did not give statements at the end of his mandate, but simply thanked and left. He did the same, with minor exceptions, throughout the 10 years he was president. Very few interviews were given, press conferences were organized only when he had no choice - that is, when he participated in Brussels at European Council meetings or when he participated in NATO summits. Otherwise, the only period in which Iohannis held press conferences more often was in the first year of the Covid 19 pandemic, but even then with the limitation of journalists' questions, to only one per media institution.