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Romania Gains Lutheran President

  • Carrie Dedrick Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Updated Nov 19, 2014

Romania has voted for its new president and a Lutheran will take the position. Klaus Iohannis, the mayor of the Transylvanian city of Sibiu beat out frontrunner Prime Minister Victor Ponta to win the presidency. 

Iohannis, 55, is a German-born Evangelical Lutheran, which Ponta tried to use against him while campaigning; Romania has an Orthodox majority. 

The New York Times reports that voters turned against Ponta when Romanians who tried to vote while out of the country were forced to wait in lines for hours. Ponta was blamed for the problems and protests against the Prime Minister ensued. 

Cristian Ghinea, director of the Romanian Center for European Policies said, “Iohannis did a poor job in the two debates, but Ponta mobilized the people against himself. He ran a dirty campaign which blew up in his face.”

Publication date: November 19, 2014