Nicusor Dan, from urban activism to the Romanian presidency
The winner of the elections has a moderate profile because he avoids the most controversial issues.
Bucharest"He will do better things for our country and represent us much better. I'm sure of it. He's much more diplomatic than any other politician we've had in this country over the years, in any position. I'm sure the economy will improve, as will relations with other EU countries like Spain and France." A young Romanian expressed this confidence on Sunday night in front of Nicusor Dan's victory in the Romanian presidential elections.
Nicusor Dan appeared in these elections as an independent candidate and was seen as the moderate in the presidential race, having avoided touching on controversial issues throughout the electoral campaign. Thanks to his pro-European and moderate tone, which contrasted with the aggressiveness of his opponent, George Simion, Dan won the support of more than six million people in Sunday's elections, which will take him from Bucharest City Hall to Palau Cotroceni.
A mathematician by profession, the new Romanian president was born in Fagaras, in the Brasov area, in the center of the country, in 1969. A mathematical prodigy, he studied in Bucharest and Paris, where he earned his doctorate. He was a professor and researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy until 2016, and it was not until 2006 that Dan entered the public scene. At first, he worked as an activist against urban corruption in the Romanian capital. That same year, he founded the organization Salvati Bucurestal (Save Bucharest, in Catalan).
Beginnings in civic activism
His activism focused on protecting Bucharest's historical heritage and green spaces, making the denunciation of the "real estate mafia" his main rhetorical resource. This earned him immense popularity, leading him to run for mayor of the capital in 2012 as an independent candidate. Then, thanks to the help of volunteers in his campaign, which focused on social media, he finished third.
Meanwhile, in 2015, the still activist created the Uniunea Salvati Bucurestal (USB) —Save Bucharest Union—, which the following year became the Romanian Salvation Army (USR) —Union Save Romania— and is now reaching national levels, winning him a seat in Parliament in 2016.
Nicusor Dan would run again in the capital's municipal elections in 2016 (and would obtain 30.5% of the vote), this time as leader of the USR. However, in 2017, he resigned as leader of the party due to a disagreement with the more progressive wing of the party, which wanted to openly oppose a referendum seeking to change the Romanian Constitution to define marriage as the exclusive union "between a man and a woman." Dan wanted to stay out of the debate to maintain the conservative vote.
Finally, in 2020, he won the municipal elections and became mayor of Bucharest. His term as mayor has focused on "cleaning up Bucharest," focusing on protecting the city's urban heritage and green areas. This garnered him strong support in the capital and helped him renew his mandate last year.
Presidential candidate
Following the annulment of the elections last November due to "Russian interference," Nicaragua decided to run for president: "A fundamental change is needed in the way the state responds to citizens' expectations," she argued.
The mayor of Bucharest, who was running for president as an independent candidate, based his campaign on a Honest Romania, focused on fighting corruption and reforming the state. He advocated for institutional transparency and strengthening the rule of law, with the aim of extending the principles he himself had applied in Bucharest to the entire country.
Internationally, he has consistently championed a pro-European and pro-Western stance, championing NATO. Dan has stated that he would commit to "supporting Ukraine against Russia and preserving Romania's Western alliances," criticized Donald Trump's ambiguous attitude toward the Kremlin, and defended sanctions against Russia.
Thus, Romania's new president emerged as a modest and independent candidate, distancing himself from parties viewed by Romanian society as corrupt institutions. Nicusor Dan has avoided taking sides on controversial social issues, building a rhetoric based on institutional transparency and the fight against corruption, and openly positioning himself in favor of Europe, thereby attracting the votes of the country's centrists, young people who see themselves as part of the EU, and intellectuals who didn't buy the populist rhetoric.
