Romanian President in office, Traian Basescu, left, waves to media representatives while arriving alongisde Romania’s President-elect, Klaus Iohannis, at Romania’s Constitutional Court, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. AP
BUCHAREST, Romania—Romania’s Parliament swore in a former mayor as the country’s new president in an election he called a triumph for democracy 25 years after communism ended.
Pro-Western Klaus Iohannis, 55, promises a different style from combative outgoing leader Traian Basescu who leaves office Sunday having served a maximum 10 years.
Iohannis also vowed to fight corruption and build “a powerful nation,” as he took an oath Sunday before Parliament.
He surprisingly defeated Prime Minister Victor Ponta in the Nov. 16 runoff, tapping into anger from thousands of overseas voters who were unable to vote in the first round.
Atypical for Romanian politics, the slow-speaking ethnic German mayor of Sibiu refuses to participate in bitter personal attacks.
He promises good relations with the US, the European Union and particularly Germany.
RELATED STORIES
Romanian court confirms president’s suspension