Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announces resignation after pressure by populists

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation on Monday following mounting pressure from populist opposition groups, two months after a top court annulled a presidential election in the European Union country.

“To spare Romania from this crisis, I am resigning as president of Romania,” he said in an emotional address, adding that he will leave office on Feb. 12.

Iohannis, 65, has held the presidential role since 2014 and served the maximum of two five-year terms. But his presidency was extended in December after the Constitutional Court canceled the presidential race two days before a Dec. 8 runoff.

That came after the far-right populist Calin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round as allegations emerged of Russian interference and electoral violations.

Several opposition parties, including the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), the nationalist S.O.S party and the Party of Young People, and also some members of the reformist Save Romania Union party (USR) sought Iohannis' ouster through a motion filed to Parliament. Several lawmakers from the governing coalition were also expected to vote in favor.

“This is a useless endeavor because, in any case, I will leave office in a few months after the election of the new president,” Iohannis said. “It is an unfounded move because I have never — I repeat, never — violated the constitution. And it is a harmful endeavor because ... everyone loses, and no one gains.”

He added that the consequences of his ouster would be “long-lasting and highly negative" for Romania, an EU member since 2007, and a NATO member since 2004. “None of our partners will understand why Romania is dismissing its president when the process for electing a new president has already begun,” he said.

After his resignation announcement, clashes broke out between Georgescu supporters and police in front of the government building in the capital, Bucharest, and tear gas was used to disperse the protesters.

New dates have been set to rerun the presidential vote with the first round scheduled for May 4. If no candidate obtains more than 50% of the ballot, a runoff would be held two weeks later, on May 18. It is not yet clear whether Georgescu will be able to participate in the new election.

Georgescu called Ioahnnis' resignation a “victory for the people of Romania” and urged a resumption of the presidential election from the second round.

While an interim president has not yet been named, the president of the Senate is supposed to fill the role of acting president, which comes with limited powers. If they are not able to, the next in line is the president of the Chamber of Deputies, according to the constitution.

Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, says that Iohannis stepping down is better for Romania than going to a referendum that "would have helped the populists even more,” but that either way “the populists can say they won.”

“The resignation will not magically stop the large discontent ... and the uncertainty regarding the coalition in power and the list of presidential candidates will grow now," he said. "The fragile political status quo has changed.”

Elena Lasconi of the USR, who was due to face Georgescu in the runoff, said in a statement that Iohannis' resignation came “far too late to be considered honorable.”

“I’m glad that the pressure USR applied in Parliament woke Iohannis from his slumber, and we won’t stop here,” she said. “We need to realign the state institutions so that they work for the citizens, not for temporary figures perched in power.”

She added, “We need truth, justice, and an authentic leader who can keep us firmly oriented toward the West!”

George Simion, the leader of the AUR party, wrote in a post on X: "The usurper is finally gone,” adding that “if he had not resigned, he would have been impeached by (Romania's) Parliament and thrown out.”

McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

Supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential elections, wave flags and chant slogans in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

A man holding a Romanian flag runs after breaking through police lines in front of the government headquarters during a protest by supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Riot police scuffle with supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, who broke through police lines in front of the government headquarters, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

A man prays while kneeling during a protest by supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man prays while kneeling during a protest by supporters of Calin Georgescu, the winner of Romania's first round of presidential election which the Constitutional Court later annulled, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

FILE - Romania's President Klaus Iohannis speaks during a joint media conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the President's palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)

FILE - Romania's President Klaus Iohannis arrives in the symposium "The Idea of Europe" in Kaunas, Lithuania, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)

European Council President Antonio Costa, left, greets Romania's President Klaus Werner Ioannis as he arrives for an EU summit at the Egmont Palace in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades with at least 2,572 people killed so far.

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

After Trump was informed on the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”

Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.

Here is the latest:

Major Middle East governments were discouraging the Trump administration from waging a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” in the volatile region, an Arab Gulf diplomat said Wednesday.

The Cairo-based diplomat, who was given anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said major governments in the region including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabai and Pakistan have been “in constant contact” with the U.S. administration over a potential American strike on Iran that could explode into a “full-blown war.”

Such a war will “certainly” have dire repercussions “not only on the Middle East but also on the global economy," he said.

Samy Magdy contributed from Cairo.

Iranian state television said Wednesday’s mass funeral in Tehran would include 300 bodies of security force members and civilians. The funeral is expected to take place at Tehran University under heavy security.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which is tracking the death toll, said more than 2,550 people have been killed, 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated.

Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.

Gauging the demonstrations and the death toll from abroad has grown more difficult and The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.

Melanie Lidman contributed from Jerusalem.

Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran could impact India, an expert said, as New Delhi already faces existing 50% U.S. trade levies due its purchases of Russian oil.

Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior economist at the Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the bigger risk is not India-Iran trade, but India’s access to the U.S. market as its exports to Iran are modest.

India mainly exports rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to Iran, while importing dry fruits and chemical products. Textiles and garments, gems and jewelry and engineering goods are likely to be the most vulnerable sectors, he said.

Trump’s latest move also could affect India’s investments in Iran including the strategically important Chabahar port, which gives India a trade route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Pakistan, Mukhopadhyay said.

Iran’s judiciary chief signals fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television on Wednesday.

He emphasized the need for swift action, saying delays would lessen the impact.

His remarks challenge Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview aired Tuesday.

Trump stated the U.S. would take strong action if Iran proceeded with executions. The situation highlights escalating tensions between the two countries over the handling of the protests.

Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran have returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.

Federal Investigation Agency spokesperson in Quetta city, Samina Raisani, said about 60 students crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday through Gabd border in Balochistan province with valid travel documents.

More students were expected to return through the same crossing later Wednesday, she said.

Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.

The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service in to people Iran who have access to the company's receivers, activists said Wednesday.

Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.

Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.

Starlink did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)