The priorities of Romania’s interim president
Romania’s new interim president Ilie Bolojan has made public the priorities of his short mandate.
Roxana Vasile, 14.02.2025, 14:00
Acting as the country’s president for the next 100 days, Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday signed the first decree as head of state, namely to appoint the former foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu as presidential adviser. On Thursday, he also presented his priorities as interim president. “We will have fair and transparent elections”, he promised, referring to the upcoming presidential elections in May, when Romanian voters will elect their president for the next five years. Until then, ensuring the country’s stability is number one on Ilie Bolojan’s agenda:
“First of all, ensuring the economic, social and political stability of the country. We have no time to waste and the risk of having a major crisis on our hands is real. Another important aspect is the foreign policy. Our country will be represented abroad with dignity and seriousness.”
Ilie Bolojan also said he wanted to restore citizens’ trust in public institutions:
“Wherever we are in the system, we have no choice but to be in the service of the people and I expect every institution and every employee to work for the citizens. My aim, as interim president, is to restore people’s trust in public institutions and at the end of this mandate to be able to look you in the eye, knowing that I have worked in your best interest and that I have acted with integrity, dignity and out of concern for the Romanian people.”
The interim president also said he had talks with a number of officials from defence, foreign affairs and national security in order to acquaint himself with the challenges and urgent needs in these fields. From the opposition, the leader of the Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, said she hoped that the 100 days in office of the new president would be a “breath of fresh air”. Her party also came up with a proposal, namely for Ilie Bolojan to start his mandate by, among other, declassifying the expenses of the president’s office. Bolojan took over from outgoing president Klaus Iohannis, whose term in office had come to an end on 21st December last year, but whose stay had been extended by the Constitutional Court following the cancellation of the presidential elections in November and early December.
