Klaus Iohannis: Difference between revisions
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On October 14, 2009, the leaders of the opposition [[Parliament of Romania|parliamentary groups]] (the [[National Liberal Party (Romania)|National Liberal Party]], the [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]], the [[Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania]], and the group of smaller ethnic minorities), proposed Iohannis as a candidate for [[Prime Minister of Romania]], after the government of Prime Minister [[Emil Boc]] fell a day before as a result of a [[motion of no confidence]] in the Parliament. Coming from outside the national-level politics of Romania, Iohannis has the image of an independent politician,<ref>[http://english.hotnews.ro/stiri-politics-6282459-democratic-liberals-submit-their-own-nomination-for-prime-minister-other-parties-keep-supporting-their-own-nomination.htm "Democratic Liberals submit their own nomination for prime minister. Other parties keep supporting their own nomination"], Hotnews.ro, October 15, 2009. Retrived 2009-10-16.</ref> although his party has consistently allied itself with, and Iohannis has campained in the [[European Parliament election, 2009 (Romania)|latest European Parliament elections]] for the [[National Liberal Party (Romania)|National Liberal Party]]. The National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), and the group of small ethnic minorities in the Parliament subsumed Iohannis as their common candidate for Prime Minister of an interim government.<ref>{{ro}} Mircea Geoană, Crin Antonescu, Bela Marko, Varujan Pambuccian, Daniela Popa, [http://media.hotnews.ro/media_server1/document-2009-10-14-6278638-0-scrisoarea-adresata-presedintelui-traian-basescu.pdf Open letter to Traian Băsescu]. Retrieved 2009-10-15.</ref> On October 14, Klaus Iohannis confirmed acceptance of his candidacy. However, on October 15, the President [[Traian Băsescu]] nominated [[Lucian Croitoru]], a a peeminent economist, as Prime Minister, and charged the latter with forming the country's next government. |
On October 14, 2009, the leaders of the opposition [[Parliament of Romania|parliamentary groups]] (the [[National Liberal Party (Romania)|National Liberal Party]], the [[Social Democratic Party (Romania)|Social Democratic Party]], the [[Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania]], and the group of smaller ethnic minorities), proposed Iohannis as a candidate for [[Prime Minister of Romania]], after the government of Prime Minister [[Emil Boc]] fell a day before as a result of a [[motion of no confidence]] in the Parliament. Coming from outside the national-level politics of Romania, Iohannis has the image of an independent politician,<ref>[http://english.hotnews.ro/stiri-politics-6282459-democratic-liberals-submit-their-own-nomination-for-prime-minister-other-parties-keep-supporting-their-own-nomination.htm "Democratic Liberals submit their own nomination for prime minister. Other parties keep supporting their own nomination"], Hotnews.ro, October 15, 2009. Retrived 2009-10-16.</ref> although his party has consistently allied itself with, and Iohannis has campained in the [[European Parliament election, 2009 (Romania)|latest European Parliament elections]] for the [[National Liberal Party (Romania)|National Liberal Party]]. The National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), and the group of small ethnic minorities in the Parliament subsumed Iohannis as their common candidate for Prime Minister of an interim government.<ref>{{ro}} Mircea Geoană, Crin Antonescu, Bela Marko, Varujan Pambuccian, Daniela Popa, [http://media.hotnews.ro/media_server1/document-2009-10-14-6278638-0-scrisoarea-adresata-presedintelui-traian-basescu.pdf Open letter to Traian Băsescu]. Retrieved 2009-10-15.</ref> On October 14, Klaus Iohannis confirmed acceptance of his candidacy. However, on October 15, the President [[Traian Băsescu]] nominated [[Lucian Croitoru]], a a peeminent economist, as Prime Minister, and charged the latter with forming the country's next government. |
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After the second round of talks, a day before Croitoru's nomination, Băsescu noted: "Some parties have proposed Klaus Iohannis. I would like you to know that I have not rejected the possibility for him to become Prime Minister in the condition that my options would be directed towards other [national unity government] solutions. But I have rejected such a proposal because it comes from PSD or another party [PNL]", referring to his |
After the second round of talks, a day before Croitoru's nomination, Băsescu noted: "Some parties have proposed Klaus Iohannis. I would like you to know that I have not rejected the possibility for him to become Prime Minister in the condition that my options would be directed towards other [national unity government] solutions. But I have rejected such a proposal because it comes from PSD or another party [PNL]", referring to his constraint to consider a proposal of the largest party (PDL).<ref name="ZF">{{ro icon}} [http://www.zf.ro/zf-24/basescu-spune-ca-n-are-nimic-cu-iohannis-dar-romania-are-nevoie-de-un-premier-cu-experienta-in-economie-4989693/ "Băsescu spune ca n-are nimic cu Iohannis dar România are nevoie de un premier cu experienţă în economie" ("Băsescu Says He Has Nothing against Iohannis but that Romania Needs a Prime Minister with Economic Experience")], ''Ziarul Financiar'', 14 October 2009; accessed October 16, 2009</ref> This{{specify}} is disputed by the other parties.{{fact}} The opposition criticized the President for not designating Iohannis. Social Democrat leader [[Mircea Geoana]] has used harsh language,<ref name="sofiaecho">[http://www.sofiaecho.com/2009/10/15/800336_romanian-president-names-prime-minister-designate-opposition-seething "Romanian President names prime minister designate, opposition seething"], The Sofia Echo, October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.</ref> after the opposition proposal to solve the political crisis by appointing Iohannis<ref>[http://www.financiarul.ro/2009/10/15/update-geoana-basescu-cam-put-an-end-on-wednesday-to-political-crisis/ "Geoana-Basescu cam put an end on Wednesday to political crisis"], Financiarul.ro, October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.</ref> was not followed. [[Crin Antonescu]], the leader of the National Liberals vowed his party would derail other nominations but Iohannis'.<ref name="sofiaecho" /> After the nomination of Croitoru, Antonescu, a candidate in the [[Romanian presidential election, 2009|upcoming presidential election]], stated that he would nominate Iohannis as Prime Minister if elected President.<ref>[http://www.financiarul.ro/2009/10/15/johannis-ready-to-head-national-union-govt/ "Johannis ready to head national union gov’t"], Financiarul.ro, October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.</ref> Three days later, on October 18, Geoană accused Antonescu was trying to use Iohannis as an "electoral agent" for Antonescu's bid for president. In response, Antonescu told the press that Iohannis "is not the type of person that would let himself being used".<ref>[http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/872102/Geoana-si-Antonescu-isi-disputa-quotagentul-electoralquot-Johannis/ "Geoană şi Antonescu îşi dispută "agentul electoral" Johannis"], [[Evenimentul Zilei]], October 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-18.</ref> Geoană and PSD leadership has held a second meeting with Iohannis in Bucharest in the evening of October 18. UDMR, which the previous day announced it would also attend, declared in the morning that all their leaders are not in the city. PNL was present at the meeting by lower level representatives, after Antonescu announced in the morning he is on campaign in [[Cluj]].<ref>[http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-politic-6305583-udmr-nu-participa-intalnirea-duminica-seara-klaus-johannis.htm "UDMR nu participa la intalnirea de duminica seara cu Klaus Johannis"], Hotnews.ro, October 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-18.</ref> On October 20, PSD leader Mircea Geoana announced that the parties supporting Iohannis will propose an extraordinary session of the Parliament to confirm their political support for Klaus Iohannis.<ref>http://english.hotnews.ro/stiri-politics-6321830-psd-leader-mircea-geoana-the-parliament-organize-extraordinary-session-confirm-the-political-support-behind-klaus-johannis-political-act.htm</ref> |
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==Honours== |
==Honours== |
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Revision as of 14:52, 21 October 2009
Klaus Werner Iohannis (also spelled Johannis; born June 13, 1959, in Sibiu) is a Romanian politician. Since 2000 he has been the mayor of Sibiu, representing the small Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania. He has been re-elected by landslide votes in 2004 and 2008. Iohannis is widely credited with turning his city into one of Romania's most popular tourist destinations, and the city was declared as European Capital of Culture in 2007 as a result of Iohannis' efforts. In October 2009, four of the five political groups in the Parliament (except the Democrat Liberal Party (PDL)) proposed him as candidate for the office of Prime Minister of Romania; however, the President nominated Lucian Croitoru. Nevertheless, the four Parliamentary groups continue to insist on Iohannis as a candidate for Prime Minister.
Iohannis, a Transylvanian Saxon by ethnicity, is a member of Romania's German minority. He is a physics teacher by professional backround.
Personal and professional life
After graduating from the Faculty of Physics of the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj in 1983, Iohannis worked as a high school teacher of physics at various schools and colleges in Sibiu, including from 1989 to 1997 at the Samuel von Brukenthal Gymnasium in Sibiu, the oldest German-speaking school in Romania. From 1997 to 1999, he was Deputy General School Inspector of the Sibiu County, and from 1999 until his election as Mayor in 2000, he was General School Inspector, being the head of public schools in the County.
Iohannis is fluent in German, Romanian, and English. Iohannis is married and has no children.
Political career
He joined the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania in 1990, and served as a member of its board of education in Transylvania from 1997, and a member of the local party board in Sibiu from 1998. In 2001, he was elected President of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania.
Mayor of Sibiu
In 2000, the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR) in Sibiu decided to run him as a candidate for mayor. Despite the fact that Sibiu's German minority had shrunken to a mere 1.6%, Iohannis was elected and has won two re-elections in a row, obtaining some of the largest electoral scores in the country: 88.7% of the vote in 2004, and 87.4% in 2008 re-elections. He is the first ethnic German mayor of a Romanian city since Alfred Dörr, who served from 1940 to 1945.
Throughout his tenure as mayor, he has managed to jump start the restoration of the town's infrastructure, the restoration of its historic center, and a tightening of the city administration. Iohannis is also widely credited with turning the city into one of Romania's most popular tourist destinations thanks to the extensive renovation of the old downtown.[1] During his first term, Iohannis worked with a city council that had a social democrat majority.[citation needed] Since 2004, during his second and third terms, his own party, FDGR, has the majority. Since 2008, FDGR has 14 out of 23 councilors, PDL has 4, PSD has 3, and PNL has 2.[2]
Iohannis established contacts with foreign officials and investors. Sibiu was declared European Capital of Culture of 2007, together with Luxembourg (the bearer of the distinction in 1995). Luxembourg chose to share this honourable status with Sibiu due to the fact that many of the Transylvanian Saxons emigrated in the 12th century to Transylvania from the area where Luxembourg is today.[3] Sibiu, or Hermannstadt in German, was for many centuries the cultural centre of Transylvanian Saxons, and was a predominantly German-speaking city until the mid 20th century. Many Germans have left the city after World War II, and especially in 1990, within months of the fall of the Iron Curtain.
On November 4, 2005, Iohannis was nominated as the "Personality of the Year for an European Romania" (Personalitatea anului pentru o Românie europeană) by the Eurolink – House of Europe organization.
Candidate for Prime Minister of Romania
On October 14, 2009, the leaders of the opposition parliamentary groups (the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, and the group of smaller ethnic minorities), proposed Iohannis as a candidate for Prime Minister of Romania, after the government of Prime Minister Emil Boc fell a day before as a result of a motion of no confidence in the Parliament. Coming from outside the national-level politics of Romania, Iohannis has the image of an independent politician,[4] although his party has consistently allied itself with, and Iohannis has campained in the latest European Parliament elections for the National Liberal Party. The National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), and the group of small ethnic minorities in the Parliament subsumed Iohannis as their common candidate for Prime Minister of an interim government.[5] On October 14, Klaus Iohannis confirmed acceptance of his candidacy. However, on October 15, the President Traian Băsescu nominated Lucian Croitoru, a a peeminent economist, as Prime Minister, and charged the latter with forming the country's next government.
After the second round of talks, a day before Croitoru's nomination, Băsescu noted: "Some parties have proposed Klaus Iohannis. I would like you to know that I have not rejected the possibility for him to become Prime Minister in the condition that my options would be directed towards other [national unity government] solutions. But I have rejected such a proposal because it comes from PSD or another party [PNL]", referring to his constraint to consider a proposal of the largest party (PDL).[6] This[specify] is disputed by the other parties.[citation needed] The opposition criticized the President for not designating Iohannis. Social Democrat leader Mircea Geoana has used harsh language,[7] after the opposition proposal to solve the political crisis by appointing Iohannis[8] was not followed. Crin Antonescu, the leader of the National Liberals vowed his party would derail other nominations but Iohannis'.[7] After the nomination of Croitoru, Antonescu, a candidate in the upcoming presidential election, stated that he would nominate Iohannis as Prime Minister if elected President.[9] Three days later, on October 18, Geoană accused Antonescu was trying to use Iohannis as an "electoral agent" for Antonescu's bid for president. In response, Antonescu told the press that Iohannis "is not the type of person that would let himself being used".[10] Geoană and PSD leadership has held a second meeting with Iohannis in Bucharest in the evening of October 18. UDMR, which the previous day announced it would also attend, declared in the morning that all their leaders are not in the city. PNL was present at the meeting by lower level representatives, after Antonescu announced in the morning he is on campaign in Cluj.[11] On October 20, PSD leader Mircea Geoana announced that the parties supporting Iohannis will propose an extraordinary session of the Parliament to confirm their political support for Klaus Iohannis.[12]
Honours
- Honorary senator of the Babeş-Bolyai University
- 2009: Grand Decoration of Honour of Austria
External links
References
- ^ The Himalayan Times, 2009-10-14: Romanian prez proposes unity govt. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ Template:Ro Sibiu City Council composition at Sibiu's Local Administration's webpage. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ Sibiu - Hermannstadt: European Capital of Culture 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ "Democratic Liberals submit their own nomination for prime minister. Other parties keep supporting their own nomination", Hotnews.ro, October 15, 2009. Retrived 2009-10-16.
- ^ Template:Ro Mircea Geoană, Crin Antonescu, Bela Marko, Varujan Pambuccian, Daniela Popa, Open letter to Traian Băsescu. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ Template:Ro icon "Băsescu spune ca n-are nimic cu Iohannis dar România are nevoie de un premier cu experienţă în economie" ("Băsescu Says He Has Nothing against Iohannis but that Romania Needs a Prime Minister with Economic Experience"), Ziarul Financiar, 14 October 2009; accessed October 16, 2009
- ^ a b "Romanian President names prime minister designate, opposition seething", The Sofia Echo, October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "Geoana-Basescu cam put an end on Wednesday to political crisis", Financiarul.ro, October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "Johannis ready to head national union gov’t", Financiarul.ro, October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "Geoană şi Antonescu îşi dispută "agentul electoral" Johannis", Evenimentul Zilei, October 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ "UDMR nu participa la intalnirea de duminica seara cu Klaus Johannis", Hotnews.ro, October 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ http://english.hotnews.ro/stiri-politics-6321830-psd-leader-mircea-geoana-the-parliament-organize-extraordinary-session-confirm-the-political-support-behind-klaus-johannis-political-act.htm