President Iohannis strips MEP Laszlo Tokes of Star of Romania order

President Klaus Iohannis announced on Thursday that he decided to strip MEP Laszlo Tokes of the “Star of Romania” order, explaining that the person who receives such a distinction must observe the Romanian Constitution.

Iohannis argued that his decision comes following the court’s ruling.

Romanian-born Hungarian MEP Laszlo Tokes attempts to keep his Romania’s Star National Order received in 2009 from President Traian Basescu, failed. The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ) rejected on Thursday his appeal against the Bucharest Court of Appeals’ 2014 decision confirming the legality of the decision to withdraw the distinction.

The Decision of the Supreme Court is final.

The Bucharest Court of Appeals had rejected as inadmissible Tokes’ request to annul the decision of the Council of Honour of the ‘Star of Romania’ National Order by which his above-mentioned title has been withdrawn.

Tokes received the decoration in 2009, while on November 20th, 2013, the Council of Honour of the ‘Star of Romania’ National Order has decided by five votes in favour and one abstention to withdraw the distinction granted to Laszlo Tokes.

The main reason for the withdrawal was that on 27th July 2013, Laszlo Tokes asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that, together with his Government to establish a “system of national cooperation” that would offer “protectorate” status to Transylvania, “like Austria did with South Tyrol.”

On 15th December 2013, Laszlo Tokes handed the ‘Star of Romania in rank of Knight’ medal to the Reformed Church of Timisoara, saying that, should a person want to take back his title, they should go to Timisoara.