Nicușor Dan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Nicușor Dan
Official portrait, 2025
6th President of Romania
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 May 2025
Prime Minister	Cătălin Predoiu (acting) Ilie Bolojan
Preceded by	Klaus Iohannis Ilie Bolojan (acting)
Mayor of Bucharest
In office 29 October 2020 – 26 May 2025
Preceded by	Gabriela Firea
Succeeded by	Stelian Bujduveanu (acting)
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 21 December 2016 – 20 October 2020
Constituency	Bucharest
Further offices held Member of the General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest In office 23 June 2016 – 21 December 2016 Mayor Gabriela Firea President of the Save Romania Union In office 28 July 2016 – 1 June 2017 Preceded by Himself (as President of the Save Bucharest Union) Succeeded by Elek Levente (acting)
Personal details
Born	Nicușor Daniel Dan (1969-12-20) 20 December 1969 (age 55) Făgăraș, Brașov County, Socialist Republic of Romania
Political party	Independent (since 2017)
Other political affiliations	USB (2015–2016) USR (2016–2017)
Domestic partner	Mirabela Grădinaru
Children	2
Residence	Cotroceni Palace
Alma mater	University of Bucharest (BS) École Normale Supérieure (MS) Paris 13 University (PhD)
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics
Institutions	Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy Școala Normală Superioară București [ro]
Thesis	Courants de Green et prolongement méromorphe (1998)
Doctoral advisors	Christophe Soulé Daniel Barsky [de]

Nicușor Daniel Dan (born 20 December 1969) is a Romanian politician and mathematician. He is currently the sixth president of Romania, a role he has held since May 2025. Before becoming president, he was the mayor of Bucharest from 2020 to 2025. He also served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2016 to 2020.

Nicușor Dan was born in Făgăraș, Romania. He was very good at mathematics from a young age. He won gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiads in 1987 and 1988. He studied mathematics at the University of Bucharest and then in France. There, he earned a master's degree from École Normale Supérieure and a PhD from Paris 13 University.

After returning to Romania, Dan started an institution called Școala Normală Superioară București. This school helps talented Romanian students get into scientific research. He also became involved in civic activism, working to improve his community.

In 2015, Dan founded the Save Bucharest Union (USB). This group focused on fighting corruption and protecting old buildings in Bucharest. A year later, he helped create the Save Romania Union (USR). However, he left the party in 2017 because he preferred a more central approach to politics.

Dan was elected mayor of Bucharest as an independent candidate in 2020 and won re-election in 2024. As mayor, he worked on public transport and making government more open. He became president of Romania in May 2025.

Early life and education

Nicușor Dan was born in Făgăraș, Brașov County. He went to Radu Negru National College in his hometown and finished in 1988. He achieved perfect scores and won first place in the International Mathematical Olympiads in both 1987 and 1988. At 18, he moved to Bucharest to study mathematics at the University of Bucharest.

In 1992, he moved to France to continue his math studies. He attended the École Normale Supérieure, a very famous French school, where he earned a master's degree. In 1998, Dan completed his PhD in mathematics at Paris 13 University. His thesis was titled "Courants de Green et prolongement méromorphe." He returned to Bucharest that same year, wanting to help change Romania.

Dan helped create and was the first director of the Școala Normală Superioară București [ro]. This university was inspired by the French École Normale Supérieure and is part of the Romanian Academy's Institute of Mathematics. He also worked as a mathematics professor at the institute.

Activism and community work

In 1998, Dan started an association called "Young People for Civic Action." He hoped to bring together many young people who wanted to make a difference in Romania. Although the association didn't fully reach its biggest goals, it did organize two events for young Romanians who had studied abroad. These events led to the creation of the "Ad Astra" Association for Romanian researchers in 2000.

Protecting Bucharest's heritage

In 2006, Dan founded the "Save Bucharest" Association. He started this group because many old, important buildings in Bucharest were being torn down. Also, new tall buildings were being built in protected areas, and green spaces were shrinking.

In 2008, the association released a report called "Bucharest, an urbanistic disaster." This report talked about the city's problems and how to fix them. The same year, during local elections, the association worked with other groups to create a "Pact for Bucharest." All candidates for mayor signed this agreement.

The "Save Bucharest" Association took part in many court cases. They won 23 cases against Bucharest's local government. For example, they stopped a plan to build a water park in Tineretului Park. They also saved several historic buildings from being demolished and stopped a glass building project on top of a historic palace. The association also helped make changes to the urban planning law in 2009.

Dan on a bicycle during his mayoral campaign in 2012

Early political career

Running for mayor in 2012

Nicușor Dan announced he would run for Mayor of Bucharest in November 2011. He didn't have a political party supporting him, so he relied on volunteers to collect the 36,000 signatures needed for his candidacy. Many volunteers helped him, especially through Facebook. A concert was even held where bands played for free to help him gather signatures.

His ideas for Bucharest

Dan proposed several projects for Bucharest. He wanted to create a light rail system using existing train lines. He also suggested making it easier for public transport to move through traffic. Other ideas included making buildings safer from earthquakes and protecting green spaces from illegal construction.

He also believed it was important to encourage young people to stay in Bucharest. He wanted the city to become a hub for technology, creative industries, and higher education. This would attract investors and skilled people to the region.

Volunteers in Dan's campaign carrying signatures to the Electoral Bureau

2016 local elections

In 2015, Dan registered the Save Bucharest Union (USB) as a political party. He ran for Mayor of Bucharest again in 2016. This time, the elections were held in a single round. He received 30.52% of the votes, but lost to Gabriela Firea, who got 42.97%.

Even though he didn't win, Dan attracted many young voters. More than half of his supporters were under 40. Some of USB's candidates for sector mayor also did well, showing that USB could become an important political force.

Save Romania Union

After the 2016 local elections, Dan announced that the Save Bucharest Union would become the Save Romania Union (USR). This meant the party would focus on national issues. He also planned for the new party to take part in the parliamentary elections that year.

With Dan as a top candidate, USR became the third-largest party in Romania. They received about 8.9% of the votes in both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies races. This result meant that Dan became a member of the Chamber of Deputies.

Leaving USR

In 2017, a group wanted to change the Romanian Constitution to define marriage only as "between a man and a woman." This caused disagreements within USR. Some members wanted the party to oppose this change, but Dan believed USR should stay neutral. He thought the party should welcome both progressive and conservative views.

After an internal vote where most members decided to oppose the constitutional change, Dan resigned from the party on 1 June 2017. He explained that his decision was based on his personal beliefs and his desire for the party to focus on fighting corruption, rather than getting involved in other social debates.

Independent politician

After leaving USR, Dan continued to serve as a member of the Chamber of Deputies as an independent.

In March 2019, he briefly rejoined USR as a regular member. This was to help his former party legally register their alliance with another party, as his signature was needed due to a specific election law. After providing the signature, he resigned from the party again.

Mayor of Bucharest (2020–2025)

2020 local elections

In May 2019, Nicușor Dan announced he would run for Mayor of Bucharest again, this time as an independent. He hoped other opposition parties would support him. He was eventually supported by both USR and the National Liberal Party (PNL).

He won the mayoral election with 42.8% of the votes. The Central Electoral Bureau confirmed him as the new Mayor of Bucharest on 5 October 2020. He defeated the former Mayor, Gabriela Firea, who received 37.97% of the votes.

2024 local elections

In June 2024, Dan ran for Mayor of Bucharest again as an independent. He was supported by USR and two other parties, the People's Movement Party (PMP) and Force of the Right (FD). These parties formed the United Right Alliance (ADU), which opposed the ruling coalition. Another party, REPER, also supported him.

The elections were held on 9 June 2024. Nicușor Dan won with about 48% of the total votes. This was more than double the votes received by Gabriela Firea, who came in second with 22%.

After his victory, Dan announced his plan to hold two referendums for Bucharest. One would give the General Mayor more power over building permits. The other would give the General Mayor more money to manage, instead of the sector mayors. He planned for these referendums to happen on the same day as the parliamentary elections to save costs.

Piața Unirii incident

On 14 October 2024, there was a conflict at Unirii Park. The mayor of Sector 4, Daniel Băluță, sent workers to start repairs on the square's foundation without proper permits. Nicușor Dan went to the square and told the workers to stop, explaining that the work was illegal.

A disagreement broke out between Dan and the Sector 4 local police. Dan returned with documents showing that the Bucharest City Hall legally owned Unirii Square. This meant the sector city halls did not have the right to start such work on their own. The Romanian prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, stepped in, and Mayor Băluță agreed to stop the work. Nicușor Dan then started an investigation into the incident. He again emphasized the importance of his planned referendums to give the Bucharest mayor more power.

2025 presidential campaign

After the Unirii Park incident, many people in Bucharest saw Dan as a strong leader against corruption. This led to talk about him running for president. On 16 December, he announced his candidacy for the 2025 Romanian presidential election. This election happened after the 2024 elections were canceled due to concerns about outside interference.

His announcement surprised many, as he had previously said he wanted to serve more terms as Mayor of Bucharest. The Constitutional Court approved his candidacy on 16 March. Dan came second in the first round of voting on 4 May with 20.99% of the vote. On 18 May, he faced George Simion in a runoff election. Dan won the presidency with 53.6% of the vote.

Dan and Simion during their televised debate on 8 May 2025

Presidency (2025–present)

Nicușor Dan was inaugurated as president on 26 May 2025. In his first speech as president, he promised to address Romania's economic challenges. He also said he would be a president who listens to the people.

On 20 June 2025, President Dan nominated Ilie Bolojan, who was the acting president before him, to become the new prime minister.

Electoral history

Mayor of Bucharest

Presidential elections

Political views

Romania's place in the world

Nicușor Dan has always supported Romania being part of the Western world. He believes that Romania's membership in the European Union and NATO is very important for the country's safety and economic growth.

During his 2025 presidential campaign, Dan strongly supported Western democratic values. He backed NATO's presence in Romania, especially during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This was different from his opponent, George Simion, who had more nationalist views.

Views on equality

In 2000, Dan wrote an article where he expressed views on public behavior that were seen as traditional. Later, as his political career grew, he clarified his stance. He stated that his opinions on these matters had changed over the years.

In 2024, Dan said he supported civil partnerships for all couples. He also mentioned that society needs to have a discussion about other related topics.

Accusations of past links

In May 2024, a document appeared that claimed Dan had worked with the Securitate, the secret police from the time of the Ceaușescu regime. The document said he provided information about his high school classmates.

Dan denied that the document was real. He said he had very little contact with the authorities back then. The National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (CNSAS) investigated the document. They concluded it was a fake, pointing out incorrect dates and a writing style that didn't match real Securitate documents.

Personal life

Nicușor Dan lives with his long-term partner, Mirabela. She works as an executive at Renault. They have two children: a daughter born in May 2016 and a son born in May 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Nicușor Dan para niños