Nicușor Dan (born 20 December 1969) is a Romanian activist, mathematician, former member of the
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
); – Committee for Industries and Services ( ro, Comisia pentru industrii și servicii); – Committee for Transport and Infrastructure ( ro, Comisia pentru transporturi și infrastructură); – Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, Food Indu ...
as well as former founder and leader of the
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
Romanian political party Save Romania Union
The Save Romania Union ( ro, Uniunea Salvați România, USR) is a liberal political party active in Romania and Moldova, currently the third largest party in the Parliament with 43 deputies and 22 senators, and fifth at national level (following ...
(USR). He is currently serving as the
Mayor of Bucharest
The Mayor of Bucharest ( ro, Primarul General al Municipiului București), sometimes known as the General Mayor, is the head of the Bucharest City Hall in Bucharest, Romania, which is responsible for citywide affairs, such as the water system, the ...
following the
2020 Romanian local elections
Local elections were held in Romania on 27 September 2020. Initially planned for June 2020, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led the Government of Romania to postpone the elections to a date no later than 31 December 2020, and extending all ...
.
Biography
Born in
Făgăraș
Făgăraș (; german: Fogarasch, Fugreschmarkt, hu, Fogaras) is a municipiu, city in central Romania, located in Brașov County. It lies on the Olt (river), Olt River and has a population of 28,330 as of 2011. It is situated in the historical regi ...
,
Brașov County
Brașov County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Transylvania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș.
Name
In Hungarian, it is known ...
, he attended the
Radu Negru High School in his native city. He won first prizes in the
International Mathematical Olympiad
The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a mathematical olympiad for pre-university students, and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except i ...
s in 1987 and 1988 with perfect scores. Dan moved to Bucharest at the age of 18 and began studying mathematics at the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...
.
In 1992, he moved to France to continue studying mathematics: he followed the courses of the
École Normale Supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
, one of the most prestigious French ''
grande école
A ''grande école'' () is a specialised university that is separate from, but parallel and often connected to, the main framework of the French public university system. The grandes écoles offer teaching, research and professional training in s ...
s'', where he gained a master's degree. In 1998 Dan completed a PhD in mathematics at
Paris 13 University
Sorbonne Paris North University (french: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord) is a public university based in Paris, France. It is one of the thirteen universities that succeeded the University of Paris in 1968. It is a multidisciplinary university l ...
, with thesis "Courants de Green et prolongement méromorphe" written under the direction of
Christophe Soulé
Christophe Soulé (born 1951) is a French mathematician working in arithmetic geometry.
Education
Soulé started his studies in 1970 at École Normale Supérieure in Paris.
He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Paris in 1979 under the supe ...
and . He returned to Bucharest that year, giving as reasons for his return his inadaptation to the French culture and the desire to change Romania.
[Sandra Pralong (ed), ''De ce m-am întors în România'']
"10 ani în România"
, Polirom
Polirom or Editura Polirom ("Polirom" Publishing House) is a Romanian publishing house with a tradition of publishing classics of international literature and also various titles in the fields of social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and a ...
, 2010,
Nicușor Dan was one of the creators and the first administrative director of the , a university set up on the model of the French
École Normale Supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
within the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its byl ...
's
Institute of Mathematics
This is a list of Institutes of Mathematics or Mathematical Institutes.
Americas
* American Institute of Mathematics
* Clay Mathematics Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Centre de Recherches Mathématiques, at the Université de Montréal
* ...
.
, he was a professor of mathematics at the institute.
[""Piratul" Nicușor visează naufragiul lui Oprescu"](_blank)
''România Liberă
''România liberă'' ("") is a Romanian daily newspaper founded in 1943 and currently based in Bucharest. A newspaper of the same name also existed between 1877 and 1888.
History and profile
The name ''România liberă'' was first used by a dai ...
'', 29 November 2011.
Activism
In 1998, Dan founded ''Asociația "Tinerii pentru Acțiune Civică"'' ("Young People for Civic Action" Association), for which he wanted to gather a thousand young people who wanted to change Romania, which was his stated goal for returning to the country.
Despite failing in its goals, the association did organize two forums for young people who studied abroad, in 2000 and 2002, to which a few hundred people participated. As result of these forums, the "Ad Astra" Association of Romanian researchers was created in 2000.
Save Bucharest Association
:
Dan founded the ''Asociația "Salvați Bucureștiul"'' ("Save Bucharest" Association) in 2006 as a reaction to the demolition of architectural heritage houses and the building of high-rise buildings in protected Bucharest neighborhoods, as well as the diminishing number of
green space areas in Bucharest.
In March 2008, the association published the "Bucharest, an urbanistic disaster" Report, which discussed Bucharest's problems and ways to overcome them. In the same year, during the elections, together with other
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
s, the association drafted a ''Pact for Bucharest'', which was signed by all the candidates for mayor of Bucharest.
On
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
in 2012, Dan published a list of 100 electoral promises made by elected mayor of Bucharest
Sorin Oprescu
Sorin Mircea Oprescu (; born 7 November 1951) is a Romanian independent politician and medical doctor who previously served as Mayor of Bucharest between 2008 and 2015.
Political activity
Oprescu first ran for Mayor of Bucharest in 1998 backed ...
which were not kept, including the "Pact for Bucharest".
The association was involved in many trials, winning 23 trials against the local authorities of Bucharest. Among them are the cancellation of a project which would have built a
water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
on 7 hectares of
Tineretului Park
''Tineretului'' Park (, "Youth's Park") is a large public park in southern Bucharest ( Sector 4).
History
The park, which was created in 1965 and finished in 1974,
was planned by the architect Valentin Donose. It was designed as the main recreati ...
,
saving from demolition a number of heritage buildings on
Șoseaua Kiseleff no. 45, and the cancelation of a project which would have built a glass building on top of
Palatul Știrbei on
Calea Victoriei CALEA may refer to:
*Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, an act by the US Congress to facilitate wiretapping of U.S. domestic telephone and Internet traffic
*Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a private accredit ...
.
The association was also able to push some changes in 2009 to the
urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
law.
Political career
2012 local elections
Nicușor Dan announced his candidacy for
Mayor of Bucharest
The Mayor of Bucharest ( ro, Primarul General al Municipiului București), sometimes known as the General Mayor, is the head of the Bucharest City Hall in Bucharest, Romania, which is responsible for citywide affairs, such as the water system, the ...
in November 2011 at a café on Arthur Verona street, with just a few guests, among which
Theodor Paleologu
Theodor Paleologu (; born July 15, 1973) is a Romanian historian, diplomat and politician. An independent who was formerly a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the People's Movement Party (PMP) and the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), ...
, a historian and Member of Parliament.
For gathering the 36,000 signatures needed for his candidacy, having the backing of no party, he relied on a network of volunteers organized on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. On 22 April, 15 bands and musicians performed pro-bono at
Arenele Romane for Dan's campaign in order to help him gather the signatures. During the 12-hour-long concert, volunteers gathered 4,000 signatures.
Political positions and program
Among his proposed projects are the creation of a
light rail infrastructure over the existing rail lines in Bucharest, creating an infrastructure for
prioritizing public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
over other traffic in intersections, consolidating buildings that are likely to be affected by earthquakes, protecting the urban green space and clearing illegal buildings from parks.
Dan argues that it is important to incentivize young people to stay in the city, by making it a regional hub in IT,
creative industries and
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
, and attracting investors and skilled people from across the region.
Support and opinions on his candidacy
He received support from
Andrei Pleșu
Andrei Gabriel Pleșu (; born 23 August 1948) is a Romanian philosopher, essayist, journalist, literary and art critic. He has been intermittently involved in politics, having been appointed Minister of Culture (1989–91), Minister of Foreign Af ...
, who argued that Dan is the only one of the candidates who is interested in the architecture of Bucharest and does not support any utopian initiatives. He also received support from political scientist and Member of the European Parliament
Cristian Preda
Cristian Dan Preda (born October 26, 1966) is a Romanian professor and politician.
He is professor of political science at the University of Bucharest and was between 2009 and 2019 a Member of the European Parliament.
Education and academic car ...
.
Dan gained the support of some journalists who wrote about him in
op-ed
An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. O ...
s from several newspapers: Andrei Crăciun of ''
Adevărul
''Adevărul'' (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published dur ...
'' saw in him "a Don Quijote untouched by the vulgar lard of undeserved riches" and "a person who works against the system". Florin Negruțiu, the editor-in-chief of ''
Gândul
''Gândul'' (, "The Thought") is a Romanian online newspaper published in Bucharest. It was founded in May 2005 by Mircea Dinescu, who used to write a daily editorial called "Vorba lu' Dinescu", and Cristian Tudor Popescu, who was also the editor- ...
'' thought he is an "atypical candidate" for Bucharest, the model candidate of the intellectuals; nevertheless, the journalist did not see any chances that Dan would become mayor, because he is "too serious" a candidate, and unlikely to appeal to the masses.
Neculai Constantin Munteanu from ''
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
'' wrote that he supports Dan for his unselfish way of caring about Bucharest and that his opponents are "comedians", for which one can "admire the imposture, ludicrousness, and incompetence".
[ Neculai Constantin Munteanu]
"Un primar pentru București"
''Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
'', 10 April 2012.
2016 local elections
Having registered
Save Bucharest Union
The Save Bucharest Union (''Romanian: Uniunea Salvaţi Bucureștiul'') was a local Romanian political party that later became the Bucharest branch of the Save Romania Union (''Romanian: Uniunea Salvați România'', USR) operating in Bucharest, Ro ...
(USB) as a political party in 2015, Nicușor Dan ran again for
Mayor of Bucharest
The Mayor of Bucharest ( ro, Primarul General al Municipiului București), sometimes known as the General Mayor, is the head of the Bucharest City Hall in Bucharest, Romania, which is responsible for citywide affairs, such as the water system, the ...
in 2016. This time,
the elections were held in a single round. He gained 30,52% of the total votes, losing to the socialist candidate,
Gabriela Firea
Gabriela Firea (born Gabriela Vrânceanu, 13 July 1972) is a Romanian journalist and politician who served as mayor of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, between 2016 and 2020.
At the 2016 Romanian local elections, June 2016 local election, Fir ...
, who gained 42,97% of the total votes.
["Rezultatele finale la alegerile locale 2016, în Bucureşti şi în ţară"](_blank)
''Gândul
''Gândul'' (, "The Thought") is a Romanian online newspaper published in Bucharest. It was founded in May 2005 by Mircea Dinescu, who used to write a daily editorial called "Vorba lu' Dinescu", and Cristian Tudor Popescu, who was also the editor- ...
'', 10 June 2016.
In the election, Dan managed to attract the young electorate, with over half of his voters being under the age of 40. Some of USB's candidates for
sector mayor have also performed well in their respective races, proving USB's viability as a future political force.
Save Romania Union
Wanting to capitalize on the momentum that saw him gain a third of the votes in the local elections, Dan announced shortly after the 2016 local election that the Save Bucharest Union will change its name to
Save Romania Union
The Save Romania Union ( ro, Uniunea Salvați România, USR) is a liberal political party active in Romania and Moldova, currently the third largest party in the Parliament with 43 deputies and 22 senators, and fifth at national level (following ...
(USR), shifting its focus to a national stage. He also announced plans for the new party to enter
the Parliamentary elections of that year.
With Nicușor Dan at the top of the candidate list, USR gained 8.92% of the vote in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
race and 8.87% in the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
, which made them the third largest party in Romania. The result also meant that Dan became a member of the Chamber of Deputies.
Departure from USR
In 2017, anti-same-sex pressure group
Coaliția pentru Familie
Coaliția pentru Familie (CpF, ; English: Coalition for Family) is an association of about 30 Romanian non-governmental organizations. It seeks to promote the traditional family, and it is also involved in the anti-abortion movement.
In 2016, 'Co ...
managed to raise the necessary number of signatures to organize a referendum that would change the part of the
Romanian Constitution dealing with marriage, with the hope of redefining it as "between a man and a woman". This created a rift within USR, between the progressive wing, who wanted USR to become the only Parliamentary party to oppose the initiative, and Nicușor Dan, who believed USR should not get involved in the debate and that the party should remain open for both progressives and conservatives. An internal referendum within the party followed, in which 52,7% of members voted to position the party against the Constitutional initiative, which triggered Dan to resign from the party on 1 June 2017. As explanation for his opposition to the National Council vote he cited religious matters, the dangers of deviating from the main party issue, which is the
fight against corruption and his refusal to belong to a party that defines itself as a party of civil liberties.
Independent
After his resignation from USR, Nicușor Dan continued to serve as a member of the Chamber of Deputies as an independent.
Due to a quirk in the Romanian electoral law, USR required his signature when they attempted to legally register
their alliance with the
Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party
The Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity (, PLUS) was a pro-European, liberal political party established on 26 October 2018, whose president was Dacian Cioloș, former Prime Minister of Romania from 2015 until 2017, elected on 26 January 2019. ...
(PLUS). In order to help his former party, in March 2019 Dan briefly rejoined USR as a common member, gave the necessary signature and then resigned for a second time.
2020 local elections
In May 2019, he announced his plans to once again run for Mayor of Bucharest, as an independent. Dan mentioned that while he hopes that his candidacy will be supported by the rest of the opposition parties, he will not run against a different common candidate, unwilling to split the vote of the opposition.
He was ultimately supported by both USR and the
National Liberal Party (PNL). With 95% of votes counted, partial results suggested that he won the mayoral election with 42.8% of votes. Shortly afterwards exit polls showed him winning the race, he announced victory. On 5 October 2020 the Central Electoral Bureau confirmed his status as the new Mayor of Bucharest, winning the elections with a majority of 42.81% against
Gabriela Firea
Gabriela Firea (born Gabriela Vrânceanu, 13 July 1972) is a Romanian journalist and politician who served as mayor of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, between 2016 and 2020.
At the 2016 Romanian local elections, June 2016 local election, Fir ...
(37.97%), the former Mayor.
Electoral history
Mayor of Bucharest
Controversy
In an article published in 2000 in the conservative weekly
Dilema, Nicușor Dan stated that "I am against the acceptance of homosexual behavior in public spaces, in Romania. I believe this to be an attack against traditional values and therefore, my legitimate collective identity". The statement kept resurfacing after his political career took off, particularly during his much-publicized departure from USR. Dan distanced himself from his previous statements on several occasions, claiming that he is not homophobic and that his opinion on the matter has changed considerably in the intervening years.
Personal life
Nicușor Dan lives with his long-time girlfriend, Mirabela, an executive for
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
. They became the parents in May 2016 of a baby girl and in May 2022 of a baby boy.
References
External links
Nicușor Dan's websiteSalvați Bucureștiul (Save Bucharest) Association*
* https://www.worldcat.org/identities/viaf-45153124238924490799/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dan, Nicusor
1969 births
Living people
People from Făgăraș
Romanian mathematicians
Romanian political candidates
Romanian activists
Romanian conservationists
University of Bucharest alumni
University of Paris alumni
École Normale Supérieure alumni
International Mathematical Olympiad participants
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania)
Save Romania Union politicians
Mayors of Bucharest
Romanian expatriates in France