Carmen Iohannis

Carmen Iohannis (also spelled Carmen Johannis; née Carmen Georgeta Lăzurcă) (born 2 November 1960) is the wife of President of Romania Klaus Iohannis.^[4][5][6] She is an English teacher at the Gheorghe Lazăr National College in Sibiu and married Klaus Iohannis in 1989.^[7][8] They have no children. Carmen met her husband when they were both students in Cluj-Napoca. Immediately after graduation, the two were assigned as teachers to Agnita and Sibiu.^[9] She was the reason Iohannis chose to stay in Romania when the rest of his family emigrated to Germany in the early 1990s. She is an ethnic Romanian, while her husband is a Transylvanian Saxon.^[10]

Carmen Iohannis is the descendant of a Romanian Greek-Catholic family from Sântu, a village near Reghin, Mureș County.^[11] During the prohibition of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church by the communist authorities, Carmen attended surreptitious services officiated by Archpriest Pompeiu Onofreiu at his home in Șelarilor Street, services which were also attended by Klaus Iohannis.^[12]

Public image

Carmen Iohannis maintains a discreet presence. She doesn't have a Facebook page or a blog, and excepting some press statements, she doesn't appear in Romanian media.^[13]

In a ranking conducted by perfecte.ro, Carmen Iohannis figures among the most beautiful and elegant wives of world leaders, alongside Queen Letizia of Spain, Kate Middleton and Queen Rania of Jordan.^[14]

Interests

Carmen Iohannis is a declared sympathizer of the Romanian Royal Family and a fan of President Barack Obama's wife, Michelle.^[15] She is a great amateur ballet dancer, loves French cuisine and exercises at home with a personal trainer. She also plays the piano.^[16][17] Carmen is also passionate about theatre and, with her husband, is present at all performances at Radu Stanca Theatre. Often, at the end of the performances, spouses Iohannis go behind the scenes, congratulate actors and give them flowers.

References