Ankara: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation on Monday after pressure from opposition groups who wanted him ousted. In a televised address, he stated, "In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from this crisis, from this useless and negative development, I am resigning from the position of president of Romania," and confirmed that he will leave office on Wednesday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the resignation follows the opposition's motion filed in parliament to impeach him. Despite the move, Iohannis, 65, described the impeachment efforts as "useless" and "unfounded," citing that his departure from office was imminent and asserting that he never violated the Constitution.

The political landscape in Romania has been unsettled since December when the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential run-off scheduled for Dec. 8. This decision came after accusations of Russian interference following far-right candidate Calin Georgescu's win in the first round on Nov. 24. The annulment has led to the rescheduling of the two-round election to May 4, with a potential second round on May 18 if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote.

Iohannis' second and final term was set to expire on Dec. 21; however, he was to remain in office until a successor was elected.