Nicușor Dan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicușor Dan
Dan in 2025
President-elect of Romania
Assuming office 26 May 2025
Prime Minister	Cătălin Predoiu (acting)
Succeeding	Klaus Iohannis Ilie Bolojan (acting)
General Mayor of Bucharest
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 October 2020
Preceded by	Gabriela Firea
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 21 December 2016 – 20 October 2020
Constituency	Bucharest
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 USB)
Succeeded by	Elek Levente (interim)
Personal details
Born	Nicușor Daniel Dan (1969-12-20) 20 December 1969 (age 55) Făgăraș, Brașov County, Romania
Political party	Independent (since 2017)
Other political affiliations	USB (2015–2016) USR (2016–2017)
Domestic partner	Mirabela Grădinaru
Children	2
Occupation	Politician • mathematician • civic activist
Alma mater	University of Bucharest École Normale Supérieure 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, mathematician, and activist. He is the president-elect of Romania. Before this, he served as the Mayor of Bucharest since 2020.

Born in Făgăraș, Romania, Nicușor Dan was a very talented mathematician as a young person. He won gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiads in 1987 and 1988. He studied mathematics in Romania and then in France. There, he earned a master's degree and a PhD. After returning to Romania, he started an institution to help talented students. He also became a strong voice for civic causes.

In 2015, Dan started the Save Bucharest Union. This group focused on fighting corruption and protecting old buildings. This led him into politics. A year later, he helped create the Save Romania Union (USR). However, he left the party in 2017 because he preferred a more middle-ground approach. Dan was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2016. In 2020, he became Bucharest’s first independent mayor. He was re-elected in 2024. As mayor, he worked on public transport and making government more open.

Dan ran as an independent for the 2025 Romanian presidential election. He came in second place in the first round. In the final round, he won against George Simion with 53.6% of the votes. Dan believes in strong ties with Western countries. This was different from his opponent's views.

Early Life and Education

Nicușor Dan was born in Făgăraș, Romania. He went to Radu Negru High School in his hometown. He finished school in 1988. He was very good at math. He won first place in the International Mathematical Olympiads in 1987 and 1988. He got perfect scores both times. At 18, Dan moved to Bucharest to study mathematics at the University of Bucharest.

In 1992, he moved to France to continue his math studies. He went to the École Normale Supérieure. This is a very famous French school. There, he earned a master's degree. In 1998, Dan finished his PhD in mathematics at Paris 13 University. His thesis was about "Green currents and meromorphic extension." He returned to Bucharest that same year. He said he wanted to help change Romania.

Dan helped create the Școala Normală Superioară București [ro]. This university was inspired by the French École Normale Supérieure. It is part of the Romanian Academy's Institute of Mathematics. In 2011, he was a math professor at the institute.

Civic Activism

In 1998, Dan started an association called "Young People for Civic Action." He wanted to bring together young people who wished to improve Romania. Even though this group didn't fully reach its goals, it did organize two events. These events were for young Romanians who had studied abroad. As a result, the "Ad Astra" Association for Romanian researchers was created in 2000.

Saving Bucharest's Heritage

Dan founded the "Save Bucharest" Association in 2006. He started it because many old buildings were being torn down. Also, new tall buildings were being built in protected areas of Bucharest. He also wanted to protect the city's green spaces.

In 2008, the association released a report. It talked about Bucharest's problems and how to fix them. They also worked with other groups to create a "Pact for Bucharest." All candidates for mayor signed this agreement. In 2012, Dan showed a list of promises that the mayor had not kept.

The association went to court many times. They won 23 cases against local authorities. For example, they stopped a plan to build a water park in Tineretului Park. They also saved several historic buildings from being torn down. They also stopped a plan to build a glass building on top of Palatul Știrbei. The association also helped change the urban planning law in 2009.

Dan on a bicycle during his campaign for Mayor of Bucharest in 2012

Early Political Journey

2012 Local Elections

In November 2011, Dan announced he would run for Mayor of Bucharest. He did this at a small event with a few friends.

Volunteers in Dan's campaign collecting signatures for his candidacy

He needed 36,000 signatures to run. Since he didn't have a political party supporting him, he relied on volunteers. They organized through Facebook. In April, many bands and musicians played a free concert to help him. During the concert, volunteers collected 4,000 signatures.

His Ideas for Bucharest

Dan suggested several projects for the city. He wanted to create a light rail system using existing train lines. He also wanted to make it easier for public transport to move through traffic. He aimed to strengthen buildings against earthquakes. He also wanted to protect green spaces and remove illegal buildings from parks.

Dan believed it was important to encourage young people to stay in Bucharest. He wanted to make the city a center for IT, creative jobs, and higher education. He also wanted to attract investors and skilled people from other areas.

Support for His Candidacy

He received support from important people. Andrei Pleșu, a historian, said Dan was the only candidate who cared about Bucharest's architecture. Political scientist Cristian Preda also supported him.

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. He received 30.52% of the votes. He lost to Gabriela Firea, who got 42.97% of the votes.

In this election, 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. This showed that USB could become an important political group.

Save Romania Union

After the 2016 local elections, Dan wanted to build on his success. He announced that the Save Bucharest Union would change its name to Save Romania Union (USR). This meant the party would focus on national issues. He also planned for the new party to join the parliamentary elections that year.

With Dan leading the candidate list, USR gained a good share of votes. They became the third-largest party in Romania. This result also meant that Dan became a member of the Chamber of Deputies.

Leaving USR

In 2017, there was a debate about changing the Romanian Constitution regarding marriage. This caused disagreements within USR. Some members wanted the party to oppose the change. Dan believed the party should not get involved in this specific debate. He thought the party should remain open to different views. After an internal vote, Dan resigned from the party on 1 June 2017. He explained that he wanted the party to focus on its main goal of fighting corruption.

Independent Politician

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

In March 2019, Dan briefly rejoined USR as a regular member. He did this to help his former party with a legal requirement. He then resigned again.

Mayor of Bucharest (2020–Present)

2020 Local Elections

In May 2019, Nicușor Dan announced he would run for Mayor of Bucharest again. He ran as an independent. He hoped other opposition parties would support him. He said he would not run against another common candidate.

He was supported by USR and the National Liberal Party (PNL). With most votes counted, it looked like he won with 42.8% of the votes. On 5 October 2020, he was confirmed as the new Mayor of Bucharest. He won with 42.81% of the votes, beating Gabriela Firea (37.97%).

2024 Local Elections

In 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 The Force of the Right (FD). These parties formed the [[United Right Alliance|United Right Alliance (ADU)]. The REPER party also supported him.

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

After his victory, Dan said he wanted to organize two referendums for Bucharest. One would give more power to the General Mayor for building permits. The other would give more money to the General Mayor instead of the Sector mayors. He planned these referendums for the same day as the parliamentary elections to save costs.

Presidential Elections

Nicușor Dan became very popular in Bucharest. Many people saw him as someone who could fight corruption. This led to talk about him running for president. On 16 December, he announced his candidacy for the 2025 Romanian presidential election. This happened after the 2024 elections were canceled.

Dan and George Simion during their televised debate in 2025

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

Electoral History

Mayor of Bucharest

Presidential Elections

Political Views

Romania's Place in the World

Nicușor Dan has always supported strong ties with Western countries. He believes Romania should be closely connected to the European Union and NATO. He sees these connections as key for Romania's safety and economic growth.

In his 2025 presidential campaign, Dan strongly defended Western democratic values. He supported NATO's presence in Romania. This was a clear difference from his opponent, George Simion, who had more nationalist views.

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