Klaus
Iohannis has been sworn in as Romania's new president. The new head of state
pledged to use his time in office to fight corruption and strengthen the
country's institutions.
Deutsche Welle, 21 Dec 2014
Iohannis
took the oath of office in a joint session of Romania's upper and lower houses
of parliament in the capital, Bucharest, before travelling to the presidential
palace to take up his duties.
"There
is a need for the whole political class to understand there is no other way for
Romania except that of a country rid of corruption," the 55-year-old head
of state said in his inaugural speech.
"I
want that at the end of my term people can see we have made durable laws, solid
institutions," he added.
Iohannis,
an ethnic German who surprisingly defeated Prime Minister Victor Ponta in the November 16 run-off election, in part because he won the votes of thousands of
voters abroad, who had been unable to cast their ballots in the first round.
The former
mayor of a town in Transylvania, Iohannis has promised to use the office to act
as a unifying force in Romanian politics, which in recent years has often been
marked by squabbling between Prime Minister Ponta and the man he is replacing
as president, Traian Basescu.
Basescu's
decade in office ends
Basescu, a
center-right politician, was not eligible to run again after serving the
maximum 10 years allowed under the country's constitution.
He has been
credited for his commitment to fighting corruption in the country and was a
staunch ally of the United States.
Basescu's
term, however, was also marked by controversy. On Saturday, he declined to
comment on the latest media reports suggesting that Romania had hosted a secret
CIA prison, saying the matter was being investigated by public prosecutors.
pfd/shs (Reuters, AP)
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