The result of Romania's recent presidential vote and the massive turnout have sent a clear message Romanians want a significant change in the way politics is done, newly elected President Klaus Iohannis has said.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle on Wednesday the centre-right ethnic German politician, who defeated Social Democrat Victor Ponta in a run-off vote last Sunday, highlighed his vision of Romania as "a strong and prosperous country, where everyone does his job, where projects are completed to standard, where the laws are valid for everyone, where politicians and institutions serve the people."

Commenting on the reasons for his victory described as historic by political analysts, Iohannis said voters understood he had "broken down prejudices of what politics in Romania can look like and what can be done."

Having made upholding the rule of law and the independence of justice key points of his election campaign, Iohannis highlighted the importance of the head of state in "generating consensus among politicians on what concerns major topics".

Tuesday's nearly-unanimous revoking of the amnesty law, which would have pardoned criminals convicted on charges of corruption, was a proof Romanian politicians "had understood the real meaning of the vote on November 16", Iohannis said.