Romanian president Klaus Iohannis can not run as an independent candidate on the parliamentary lists of the Liberal Party (PNL), the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) in Romania ruled, answering a clarification request filed by the PNL.

It is one of the episodes related to president Iohannis's parliamentary candidacy, a process that risks damaging the Liberal Party's credibility and the odds of the Liberal presidential candidate Nicolae Ciuca. 

A person who is proposed on the list of a political party or political alliance and accepts the candidacy, cannot claim to be independent, BEC argued, as reported by Hotnews.ro. As a consequence, president Iohannis should step down from his post before the end of his term if he seeks to run in the parliamentary elections.

President Klaus Iohannis avoided explicitly rejecting plans to run in the parliamentary elections, but about a controversial amendment sketched by the Liberals for smoothing his candidacy, he rejected the scenario as "it would be a law for one person." At that time, however, it was clear that the senior ruling Social Democratic Party did not support the Liberals' amendment.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Alex Nicodim)