Klaus Iohannis (65 years old) announced his resignation the day before the Parliament begins the procedure that, theoretically, could have led to the loss of all the benefits of retired president. It is about the pension of about 2,000 euros, villa, protocol, two employees, guard, etc.
Klaus Iohannis withdraws from Cotroceni. Photo: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea
The President of Romania benefits from several advantages and privileges after completing their mandate, according to the legislation in force, that is, Law no. 406/2001 regarding the granting of rights to the persons who had the status of head of the Romanian state.
First of all, former President Klaus Iohannis will benefit from a monthly life allowance equivalent to 75% of the gross salary he had in office. In 2024, the net salary of the president was about 186,000 lei according to the last declaration of wealth deposited in May last year. This means a monthly income of 15,500 lei, ie 3,100 euros net. 75% of this amount means 2,325 euros a month.
This allowance can be cumulated with other income of the president, obtained as salary income or as a pension.
Thus, Anton Hadăr, president of Alma Mater, says that the pension that Iohannis will receive as a pensioner as a result of his teaching career will amount to 8,500 lei, ie about 1,700 euros.
“With approximation, of course, that I do not have access to information about its earnings, I think it will take a little over 100 points, it adds about 8,500 lei. It will not take five digits, it will be a four -digit number, because in the teaching years, at the beginning of the road, until it has been titled, it had a very low salary. Even in the town hall area it did not win very well, today it is better. If it wasn’t the presidency I think it would have come out with a small pension, 5-6,000 as a high school teacher, even if they had remained an inspector”, Says Anton Hadăr, president of Alma Mater, according to Digi24.
This means an income from the two pensions of about 4,000 euros.
Protocol housing, car and guard
He has the right to a protocol home, made available by RA-APPS, with the obligation to bear the maintenance expenses. He also has the right to “a space for organizing the work cabinet, classified with a position of counselor and a position of secretary, both attributed to the destination of residence”.
The president benefits from guard and protection, as well as the free use of a car, permanently provided by the protection and security service, according to the regulations in force.
He can carry out, upon request, a completely annual medical check -up, within the Central Military Emergency Hospital “Dr. Carol Davila ”.
The family members of the holder benefit from the right of free use of the residence of the former president, only during the life of the holder and will issue the house within 60 days.
If the former president is definitively convicted of corruption, he loses all his benefits.
He can voluntarily give up these rights. These privileges are similar to those granted to former heads of state in other European countries and are meant to ensure a decent and security status after the mandate is concluded.
It is not known which protocol housing will get
According to the information available so far, there is no official decision on the protocol home that will be attributed to former President Klaus Iohannis after the end of his mandate. The Presidential Administration stated that no request was filed by President Iohannis or the institution for assigning such a home.
Although there were speculation regarding the villa located on Aviatorilor Boulevard no. 86 from Bucharest, which was renovated with about 9 million euros, government sources indicated that this property will not be allocated to former President Iohannis. Instead, the attribution of another protocol house, such as the Lac 2 villa, is taken into account.
Until an official communication, the details regarding the protocol home for former President Klaus Iohannis remain unconfirmed.
Risk losing benefits. First step toward suspension, Tuesday
Law 406/2001 provides three exceptions from obtaining these benefits: cessation of the quality of chief of the Romanian state as a result of committing an offense for which it was definitively convicted or as a result of the dismissal by referendum, nor the person who was definitively found that had the status of security worker or its collaborator.
Theoretically, the president could lose all these benefits if he had been suspended following a referendum.
The dismissal of a president of Romania through the referendum is regulated by the Constitution of Romania and involves several legal steps.
The first necessary step would have been taken on Tuesday, when Parliament’s reunited Houses should have voted the request to suspend President Klaus Iohannis, submitted by the opposition.
The president can be dismissed if the Parliament adopts a resolution that finds the serious violation of the Constitution. The decision must be adopted by two thirds of the members of the two Houses of Parliament (Senate and the Chamber of Deputies).
In order for the suspension to be approved in the plenary, 233 votes are required. The parties that initiated the suspension procedure – Pot, gold, sauce and USR – have 215 votes in total. It is not excluded that the opposition has obtained some votes from the minorities, PSD or PNL.
The next step would have been convening a national referendum to validate or reject the decision of the Parliament. The referendum can only be organized if the Parliament approves this approach with a majority of two thirds of the members of the two chambers.
At the national referendum, Romanian citizens are asked whether or not they agree with the president’s dismissal. In order for the dismissal to be valid, it is necessary for the participation in the referendum to be at least 30% of the total number of voters, and most of those who vote must support the dismissal of the president.
If all these conditions are fulfilled and most of the votes are for dismissal, the president is dismissed. If these conditions do not meet (for example, if no 30% are presented or if the majority does not support the dismissal), the president remains in office.
