Klaus Johannis

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Klaus Johannis 2015

Klaus Werner Johannis ( Romanian Iohannis ; born June 13, 1959 in Sibiu ) is a Romanian politician and President of Romania .

Johannis, who belongs to the Romanian-German ethnic group of the Transylvanian Saxons , was mayor of Sibiu from 2000. On June 28, 2014, he became chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and then ran for the 2014 presidential election . After the first ballot on November 2, 2014, he was around ten percentage points behind the then Prime Minister Victor Ponta , who in turn missed an absolute majority. From the runoff election on November 16, 2014, Johannis emerged as the winner. In the 2019 presidential election in Romania , he ran in a runoff election against his challenger Viorica Dăncilă and was re-elected to office.

Life and family

Johannis grew up in the “petty bourgeois milieu” of his Transylvanian-Saxon family. His father Gustav Heinz was a technician and his mother Susanne was a nurse. According to Johannis, records from around 1500 in Heltau show that the family immigrated to Transylvania in the area around Sibiu 850 years ago.

He studied from 1979 to 1983 at the Faculty of Physics at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca . After completing his studies, he taught at various schools in Sibiu from 1983 to 1989 and then until 1997 at the Brukenthal Lyceum there . After the Romanian Revolution of 1989 , Johannis joined the newly founded Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (DFDR) in 1990 , the political representation of the German-speaking minority . In 1997 he was deputy general school inspector of the Sibiu district and from 1999 he was in charge of the general school, and left the office on the occasion of his entry into politics in 2000.

He has been married to Carmen Johannis since 1989 , who teaches English at the Gheorghe Lazăr National College in Sibiu. The couple have no children. After the Romanian Revolution in 1989 , his parents and sister Krista emigrated to Bavaria and have lived in the Würzburg area ever since .

Political career

Mayor of Sibiu in 2000

Klaus Johannis as Mayor 2005

In 2000, the DFDR decided to put up its own candidate for the mayoral elections in Sibiu and nominated Klaus Johannis. Although the German population in Sibiu only made up a minority of less than two percent, Johannis was elected with 69 percent of the vote, making it the first mayor of a Romanian city of German origin for a long time. In the city council, Johannis worked in the first legislative period with a majority supported by the Social Democratic Party (PSD, Partidul Social Democrat ).

In 2004 Johannis was re-elected with 88.7 percent of the vote. Johannis was able to establish good contacts with foreign investors from German-speaking countries and with EU authorities and achieved that Sibiu became European Capital of Culture in 2007 (together with Luxembourg ) . Major projects that have been implemented during his tenure were the renovation of the old town, the renewal of the entire urban infrastructure (roads, water and electricity supply, sewage disposal) and the expansion of the airport according to Western European standards (completed in 2007). In 2008 and 2012, Johannis was re-elected as Mayor of Sibiu. In 2008 it received over 80 percent of the vote, in 2012 almost 78 percent of the vote.

Candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Romania in 2009

After the Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc was voted out of office on October 13, 2009 by a vote of no confidence, Johannis was proposed as his successor by several parties (the National Liberal Party, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania and other national minority parties). On October 14, 2009, Johannis officially declared himself ready to run. On October 15, President Traian Băsescu nominated economic expert Lucian Croitoru as the new Prime Minister. The parliamentary majority stuck to Johannis. The leader of the National Liberal Party and candidate for the presidential elections in Romania in 2009 , Crin Antonescu , then declared that he, too, wanted to appoint Johannis as prime minister if he won the election. After Băsescu's election victory, Emil Boc was charged with forming a government; This formed the Boc II cabinet in December 2009 . On February 6, 2012, after the beginning of the national crisis in Romania , this cabinet resigned.

Leader of the bourgeois opposition 2014

On February 23, 2013, Johannis was elected First Deputy Chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL), which co-ruled with the Social Democrats at the time. At the beginning of February 2014, the PNL proposed him for the office of Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister, which Prime Minister Victor Ponta rejected on February 7, 2014. After two weeks of dispute in the ruling coalition, it broke up on February 25, 2014 when the liberal ministers withdrew from the government.

After the European elections in 2014 , Johannis initially led the PNL on an interim basis until he was elected chairman at the extraordinary party congress on June 28, 2014.

Johannis and Vasile Blaga , the chairman of the Democratic-Liberal Party (PDL), spoke out in favor of a quick merger of their two parties and the joint accession of their MEPs to the Christian Democratic EPP group in the European Parliament.

Election for President 2014

Johannis was nominated on August 11, 2014 by the Christian-Liberal Alliance (ACL), an electoral alliance of the PNL and PDL, as a candidate for the 2014 presidential elections in Romania . He was one of a total of 14 candidates for the office.

During the election campaign, Johannis had promised to fight corruption in Romania and to improve the independence of the judiciary, thereby strengthening the rule of law in Romania and stabilizing the security situation. He also promoted reforms in the economy, health and education. The large television stations close to the PSD of his rival Victor Ponta criticized his childlessness or portrayed him as a non-Romanian provincial politician. The latter was also credited to him from other sources, as people of German origin in Romania are considered to be “effective administrators”. He was also accused of selling children to organ traffickers, fraudulently buying real estate and misappropriating public funds, and being "a foreign agent and separatist" trying to "tear the country apart". His membership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church was also an issue. During the election campaign, parts of the Romanian Orthodox Church called on voters to vote for a “good Orthodox Romanian”.

Johannis won the presidential election in the second ballot on November 16, 2014 with 54.5 to 45.5 percent of the vote, after he was 30 to 40 percent behind Prime Minister Victor Ponta in the first ballot on November 2. He took office on December 21, 2014.

Since the beginning of his tenure

In December 2014, Johannis was criticized for awarding Octav Bjoza (* 1938), the chairman of the Asociația foştilor deținuți politici din România (Association of Former Political Prisoners in Romania), the Star of Romania . Bjoza had repeatedly expressed sympathy for the fascist Iron Guard or legionary movement of the 1930s and 1940s. Octav Bjoza commented on the allegations made by the Centrul pentru Monitorizarea şi Combaterea Antisemitismului (abbreviated: MCA România; Center for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism): “It is outrageous! I was, am and will never be an anti-Semite. In prison I was taught not to look at people in terms of ethnicity, religion or political attitude. I was just an anti-communist fighter there, I made no distinction as to who belonged to a legionnaire, peasant party supporter , Cuza supporter or no political branch at all.

In March 2016, Johannis followed the recommendation of the “Honorary Committee of the Order Bearers” and revoked László Tőkés , the symbolic figure of the Romanian Revolution in 1989 , the highest honor in Romania, the Star of Romania . The political scientist Vladimir Tismăneanu from the University of Maryland called Johannis' decision a "revenge of the Securitate " and a "climax of the monstrous smear campaign against Tőkés that has been going on for years".

On January 18, 2017, Johannis attended a cabinet meeting to prevent the adoption of two decrees. The new government of Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu , which will take office on January 4, 2017, nevertheless decided to do so: prisoners who were sentenced to less than five years in prison are to be released from prison. Abuse of office should remain unpunished if the damage is less than 200,000 lei (50,000 euros). In the opinion of critics, this is intended to protect the chairman of the co-ruling Socialists ( PSD ), Liviu Dragnea . He is on trial for alleged abuse of office with damage of 100,000 lei . The decrees should come into force bypassing parliament and the president. On January 22, 2017, Johannis took part in a demonstration against the amendment to the anti-corruption law in Bucharest and gave a speech.

Dragnea accused Johannis of planning a " coup "; he took part in an "unauthorized" demonstration. Romania's government-critical media assume that Dragnea is planning impeachment proceedings against Johannis. You describe the coalition of the governing parties led by the PSD as an alliance of criminals ; Dragnea was sentenced to two years suspended prison sentence in April 2016 for election fraud .

Johannis took part in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957 in Rome at the end of March 2017 . Here he was one of the signatories of the Rome Declaration on the Future of the European Union .

Election for President 2019

Johannis prevailed on November 24, 2019 in a runoff election with a turnout of 54.86 percent with 66.09 percent of the vote against his PSD challenger Viorica Dăncilă , who received only 33.91 percent of the vote. His second term began on December 21, 2019.

According to his statement in May 2020, parts of the opposition, together with the country's Hungarian minority , were planning a secession of Transylvania to Hungary .

honors and awards

Publications

Web links

Commons : Klaus Johannis  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ An exchange of blows in full swing. In: Hermannstädter Zeitung of August 28, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ Norbert Mappes-Niediek : A German wants to become President of Romania. In: Berliner Zeitung of August 12, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  3. ^ Johannis wins presidential election. In: Die Zeit vom November 17, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ Romania before the election (PDF; 592 kB). In: Project report of the Hanns Seidel Foundation from September 21, 2014, accessed on October 22, 2014.
  5. ↑ Frieder Schuller : He doesn't lie, he doesn't steal, he's serious! In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of October 29, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  6. ^ Runoff election for Romania's presidency - Ponta or Iohannis . In: Frankfurter Rundschau (no publication date), accessed on November 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ a b c Thomas Schmid : The challenger. ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) In: Frankfurter Rundschau of October 30, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ Mădălina Mihalache: Rădăcinile străine ale candidaţilor la Preşedinţie. In: Adevărul of August 6, 2014, in Romanian, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ Horia Plugaru, Marina Bădulescu: Klaus Iohannis (biography). ( Memento of November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: Agerpres of February 7, 2014, in Romanian, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ Despre Klaus Iohannis , In: Ziare (no publication date), in Romanian, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ Klaus Johannis is supposed to be a transitional premier. In: Der Standard from October 13, 2009, accessed November 27, 2014.
  12. ↑ Băsescu vrea un premier economist care să-şi formeze majoritatea. In: EVZ of October 14, 2009, in Romanian, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  13. ^ Johannis ready to head national union gov't. In: Financiarul of October 15, 2009, in English, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  14. ^ Romania's coalition collapsed. ( Memento from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: Tagesschau.de , broadcast on February 25, 2014, accessed June 12, 2014.
  15. ↑ Johannis appointed interim head up to the PNL convention. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung für Romania from June 4, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  16. ↑ New head of the Romanian Liberals. In: Tiroler Tageszeitung from June 28, 2014, accessed on March 5, 2020.
  17. ^ Klaus Johannis is running for President of Romania. In: Siebenbürgische Zeitung of August 14, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  18. ↑ a b c Thomas Roser: Johannis in the snake pit. In: The time of October 31, 2014, accessed on October 31, 2014.
  19. ^ Winner Johannis wants "new Romania". In: Deutschlandfunk from November 17, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  20. ^ Victory for Johannis in the presidential election in Romania. In: Publication of the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Transport from November 17, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  21. ↑ Klaus Johannis wins election. ( Memento of November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: Handelsblatt of November 17, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  22. ↑ Keno Verseck : Presidential election in Romania: The "German" teaches the old cadres to fear. In: Der Spiegel from November 15, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  23. ↑ Enver Robelli, Oliver Jens Schmitt: "Under Ponta Romania will come closer to authoritarian states." In: Tages-Anzeiger of November 14, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  24. ^ Karl-Peter Schwarz: Romania: President Johannis. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of November 17, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  25. ↑ derstandard.at, December 27, 2014_ Romania: President Johannis because of controversial honor in the criticism
  26. ↑ Klaus Iohannis, criticat pentru decorarea lui Octav Bjoza. In: Cotidianul of December 26, 2014, in Romanian
  27. ↑ Klaus Iohannis, criticat pentru decorarea lui Octav Bjoza. MCA România: “A semnat un dezamăgitor act de populism”. In: Adevărul of December 26, 2014, in Romanian
  28. ^ Der Spiegel of March 12, 2016 / Keno Verseck : Romania's head of state Johannis. The amateur.
  29. ↑ a b spiegel.de, January 22, 2017: The President demonstrates against the government
  30. ↑ spiegel.de, January 25, 2017: A head of state in the fight against the "Alliance of Criminals"
  31. ↑ 60 years of the EU. Rome Declaration: “The European Union is the best way to achieve our goals”. In: Epoch Times, March 25, 2017.
  32. ↑ DIGI 24
  33. ↑ Keno Verseck, DER SPIEGEL: Romania: Klaus Johannis - Nationalist agitation of the Charlemagne Prize winner - DER SPIEGEL - Politics. Retrieved May 5, 2020 .
  34. ↑ Super User: 2007 - Deutsche Gesellschaft eV Accessed December 11, 2017 (German).
  35. ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB), response from the Austrian Chancellor of April 23, 2012, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  36. ^ Federal Cross of Merit, First Class for Klaus Johannis. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung für Romania from July 18, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
  37. ↑ Christian Schoger: awards 2014 in Dinkelsbuehl. In Siebenbürgische Zeitung of June 17, 2014, accessed on November 27, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Johannis, Klaus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Iohannis, Klaus; Johannis, Klaus Werner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Romanian politician (PNL) and president
DATE OF BIRTH June 13, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Sibiu , Romania