Romania’s President criticized by one of Germany’s top publications: "His administration is a disaster"
German magazine Der Spiegel, one of the most influential publications in Europe, harshly criticized Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis in an article published at the end of last week.
“Klaus Iohannis, Romania’s German-ethnic President, started his mandate with big reform promises, but his administration is a disaster. Now, he even abandoned the 1989 Revolution heroes,” Keno Verseck, an editorialist with Der Spiegel, wrote in a comment. He called Iohannis a “dilettante”.
The article starts from Iohannis’ recent decision to withdraw Hungarian politician Laszlo Tokes’ Romanian Star Order. Tokes, a pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church and a member of the European Parliament, was the man who sparked the 1989 anticommunist revolt in Timisoara, which led to the overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu on December 22, 1989.
Klaus Iohannis withdrew his Romanian Star Order after a High Court’s final decision. Tokes was accused of statements against Romania’s Constitution, as he had been asking for autonomy for the Magyar ethnics in Romania.
Tokes protested against Iohannis’ decision saying that people convicted for corruption in Romania have kept the distinctions they had got from the Romanian state. Der Spiegel also mentioned this in the article, pointing out that former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, who has served two jail sentences for corruption, still had his Romanian Star Order.
The article also states that Iohannis’ former supporters are now disappointed with his political performance and of his silence related to important matters. “That is now Johannis' trademark. When his voice as a head of state should be heard on important domestic issues, corruption scandals or controversial laws, he is silent or posts a brief text on Facebook,” Der Spiegel writes.
The author pointed out to the President’s empty rhetoric related to corruption and the state’s transparency, not reflected by his own actions. According to a recent journalistic investigation made by Rise Project, Iohannis made EUR 115,000 rental income between 2005 and 2008, which he didn’t declare in his wealth statements.
Der Spiegel also wrote about the President’s uninspired intervention in the conflict between convicted businessman Dan Voiculescu’s TV stations and the tax agency ANAF. Iohannis called ANAF’s actions to recover the EUR 60 million damages Voiculescu caused in a fraudulent privatization case “questionable”, which got him many critics from his supporters.
editor@romania-insider.com
