President Iohannis says Romania ‘not ready for EU presidency’

Romania’s Klaus Iohannis has warned that his country is not ready to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union on January 1 and called for the government to step down. The president said on Monday that “things have gone off the rails,” and that there was “a political necessity to replace government,” which he called “an accident of Romanian democracy,” AP reports. Viorica Dancila became premier in January, but has little executive power as Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the ruling Social Democratic Party basically runs the government. Dragnea can’t be prime minister due to a conviction for vote-rigging. Romania is already facing censure from the EU over a contentious judicial overhaul last year. The legislation undermines the fight against corruption, according to the bloc.