Klaus Iohannis remains in Cotroceni, although his presidential mandate expires on Saturday

Klaus Iohannis was president of Romania between 2014 and 2024, serving two consecutive terms, which were marked by important political, social and economic events, but also by controversies and criticism. During his two terms, Klaus Iohannis interacted with 9 prime ministers - Victor Ponta, Dacian Cioloş, Sorin Grindeanu, Mihai Tudose, Viorica Dăncilă, Ludovic Orban, Florin Cîţu, Nicolae Ciucă and Marcel Ciolacu - and now, at the end of his second term, he has the opportunity to nominate and interact with his 10th prime minister or government. An average of one prime minister/government for every year that Iohannis has held the position of president of the country. True political stability, right?

During Klaus Iohannis' two terms in office, several tragedies occurred, including Colectiv, the fires in the ICU wards of some hospitals during the Covid 19 pandemic - the Piatra Neamţ County Emergency Hospital, the Constanţa Infectious Diseases Hospital, the Matei Balş Infectious Diseases Hospital in Bucharest, the horror asylums, Crevedia, the collapse of the ceiling of the high school in Odorheiu Secuiesc on students, etc., tragedies after which the country's president stated that the perpetrators would be held accountable, which did not happen, which led him to later declare that Romania is "a failed state".

A failed state, in which President Klaus Iohannis, instead of permanently wearing, in his soul, the red jacket with which in January 2017 he defended the independence of Justice, preferred to appoint high-ranking magistrates to leadership positions, who had a negative opinion from the Superior Council of Magistracy, putting the political proposal sent by the Minister of Justice above the competencies established as real by the SCM.

However, let us review the achievements and failures of President Klaus Iohannis, in order to have a clear, well-defined opinion about his 10 years of mandate.

• Achievements and key moments of the Presidential Administration

Klaus Iohannis was one of the most important supporters of Romania's full integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures. Through his direct involvement, he consolidated the strategic partnership with the United States, which translated into a stronger presence of NATO troops in Eastern Europe, including in Romania. These efforts were vital in the context of regional tensions generated by Russia's actions, only if we take into account the permanentization of the American military presence in our country and the establishment of the multinational brigade, under the command of France, from Cincu. Also, the European Council Summit in Sibiu, organized in May 2019, was a turning point for Romania's image. The event reaffirmed the country's commitment to European values and underlined Romania's strategic role within the European Union. Klaus Iohannis was appreciated for his diplomacy and for his ability to draw attention to the EU's common priorities. Moreover, Iohannis' mandates were marked by a firm stance against attacks on the judiciary. The President constantly opposed legislative changes that would have weakened the fight against corruption, using the right to challenge at the Constitutional Court the laws approved by Parliament that affected the independence of the judiciary and the independence of magistrates. A notable example of this was the open conflict with PSD governments, especially during the Liviu Dragnea era, when Klaus Iohannis was one of the few political figures who openly supported the mass protests in 2017 against Ordinance 13/2017 that partially decriminalized abuse of office, a controversial move by the government that aimed to amend the criminal legislation in favor of convicted politicians. However, Klaus Iohannis could not oppose the decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania that established that the president was obliged to dismiss Laura Codruţa Kovesi - the current chief prosecutor of the European Public Prosecutor's Office - from the position of chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, following the unfavorable report drawn up by former Minister of Justice Tudorel Toader and the leadership of the Judicial Inspection, who thus responded to the demands coming from the PSD, immediately after the exhortation "Tudors, do something!" of the Social Democratic Secretary General Codrin Stefanescu. Furthermore, President Iohannis did not oppose the operationalization of the establishment of the Section for the Investigation of Crimes in Justice, a Prosecutor's Office department established by the PSD with the aim of limiting the independence of judges and prosecutors in cases involving political leaders.

Regarding the political scene, although the polarization of Romanian politics increased significantly during his mandates, Klaus Iohannis was perceived as a figure who avoided the escalation of political conflicts. For example, in critical moments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a crucial role in coordinating public messages and supporting protective measures, even if they were unpopular. However, starting from the second year of the pandemic, according to Ludovic Orban and other prominent former liberal leaders, Iohannis fueled the internal conflict within the PNL, between the Orban team and the Cîţu team, and later removed the latter as well, preferring Nicolae Ciucă as leader of the liberals.

Klaus Iohannis' supporters would say that his achievements should also include our country's full accession to the Schengen area. That success is more the prerogative of the governments that have been in power over time at Victoria Palace, which, through the intense activities carried out by the Ministry of Justice, with the support of Parliament, obtained from the European Commission the lifting of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the field of justice, and through the measures taken by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, managed to raise the level of security in the border area to the level of the European states in the Schengen Area.

• Failures of the Iohannis Administration

One of the most frequent criticisms of Klaus Iohannis was the lack of concrete action in the face of domestic problems. The president was often perceived as being too distant from social crises, such as the situation in the healthcare or education system. Many citizens criticized him for intervening only symbolically, without offering real solutions or, if he does offer them, they come too late and their implementation takes time - see the case of the Educated Romania program -, with the positive results to be counted many years after the end of the presidential mandate. This led to a state of increased dissatisfaction among citizens, with political analysts criticizing the president for lacking initiative and for remaining silent in critical situations.

Regarding domestic political actions, although in the first years of his mandate he was a vehement critic of the PSD, in November 2021 Klaus Iohannis supported the formation of a governing coalition between the PNL and the PSD. Political analysts have often criticized President Klaus Iohannis for mismanaging the political crisis triggered by the dismissal of the Florin Cîţu government by Parliament. Iohannis' choice to support a PNL-PSD alliance was perceived by some as a capitulation or betrayal in front of a party he has vehemently criticized for years.

The biggest shadow on the image of President Klaus Iohannis during his mandates is the controversy regarding his houses in Sibiu. The final and irrevocable decision of the High Court of Cassation and Justice to cancel the ownership right for one of the houses in Sibiu, on the grounds that it was acquired through false documents, generated waves of criticism. Many saw this episode as a symbol of hypocrisy and lack of integrity. Moreover, the fact that President Iohannis challenged in court the restitution to the state of the amount of 250,000 euros representing illegally collected rents, increased the wave of dissatisfaction among citizens. We note that even after the court decision establishing that the respective amount must be returned to the state budget became final, President Klaus Iohannis has so far not given any sign that he would like to fully comply with the court ruling.

Another negative point in the activity of President Iohannis is his relationship with the secret services, in terms of the fact that the information received from them did not find a practical, preventive response from the head of state. This is the only way to explain the current situation regarding the cancellation of the presidential elections, due to the interference of state and non-state actors, given that Klaus Iohannis recently stated that he had received signals from the intelligence services since the beginning of June, regarding the fact that something suspicious was happening in the European Parliament and local elections - which took place on June 9. The lack of decision by President Iohannis in taking preventive measures from June 9 to November 24 - the first round of the presidential elections - led to the results of the first round, to the results of the parliamentary elections - where the sovereignists obtained 35% of the seats in Parliament - and, finally, to the cancellation of the presidential election.

As can be seen, Klaus Iohannis' presidential terms, although they recorded some successes abroad and in consolidating the rule of law, were marked by the passivity and lack of involvement of the country's president in major social issues. His image as a moderate leader was, paradoxically, tarnished by internal conflicts with the PSD and the perception that he was too distant from the citizens.