Romanian President Nicosor Dan is a passionate chess player and a very good player by all accounts. But now, amid the ongoing political crisis in Romania, Dan has taken a step that is not only risky but arguably breaks the rules of the democratic game.
Many are wondering what might have motivated Dan, a former civil society activist, to commit such an act.
Two months ago, Romania’s four-party coalition collapsed, leaving the country without a government as the country finds itself in a severe financial and socioeconomic crisis.
In a surprise move on Sunday, Dan named Adrian Vestia of the National Liberal Party (PNL) as the new prime ministerial candidate, after the previous candidate withdrew.
Vestia, who currently serves as President of the Brasov County Council, does not have the best track record. He graduated from a university with questionable academic standards, and later, among other things, failed to get access roads repaired to a major Romanian NATO military base.
Dan made his nomination without consulting the parties in Parliament, as required by the Constitution. Not only this. The President nominated Vestia without knowing the leadership of his own PNL party.
PNL Chairman Ilie Bolojan, who heads the current government as interim prime minister, called Vestia’s nomination a “hostile act” and “an attempt to split the PNL.”
Some commentators have accused the president – once a vocal supporter of the rule of law – of disregarding democratic and constitutional principles.
Political instability in Romania
Romania has been mired in political crisis for years and the government changes frequently. For some time now, it has had one of the highest budget deficits in the EU, with its GDP projected to exceed 9% in 2024.
Romania is under pressure to implement fundamental administrative and tax reforms and to reform its judicial system, which is considered corrupt. Without these measures, Romania risks serious financial crisis and losing several billion euros in EU funding. However, Romania’s political elite has been reluctant to make changes.
The Social Democrats of Romania (PSD), initially composed of former communist officials from the Ceaușescu dictatorship, today primarily espouse right-wing nationalist positions. Pro-Russian far-right parties have also gained popularity in recent years against a backdrop of growing disillusionment with Romania’s disorganized reforms and its corrupt political establishment. In the 2024 parliamentary election, three far-right parties won a total of 35% of the vote, with the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) emerging as the largest force.
Russian interference?
That same year, pro-Russian far-right leftist Calin Georgescu won a surprise victory in the first round of Romania’s presidential election. Shortly thereafter, the Constitutional Court annulled the election due to alleged Russian interference. While it is true that Russian propaganda is prevalent in Romania, it is not clear that its impact on the 2024 elections was as decisive and direct as claimed.
The new presidential election, to be held in the spring of 2025, was won by then-Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan, a liberal conservative. He presented himself during his campaign as a cosmopolitan, pro-European patriot, promising to lead Romania out of political crisis and keep the country on a pro-European trajectory at all costs. He also promised to pay attention to the wishes of the Romanian people and ensure greater transparency by campaigning under the slogan of “Honest Romania”.
After taking office in May 2025, DAN ultimately managed to form a four-party coalition, consisting of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democrats, the green-liberal Save Romania Union, and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR).
Soon, given Ilie Bologen’s position as a staunch economic reformer, the Social Democrats (PSD) adopted a more opposition-minded stance. After only ten months, in April 2026, the Social Democrats left the coalition and then brought it down through a vote of no confidence with the help of the far right.
President Dan has since sought to form a new, pro-European government at all costs to avoid early elections, in which far-right parties are likely to gain a parliamentary majority.
However, the math doesn’t add up. The PNL and USR have stated that they will no longer govern with the PSD, although there is a small faction within the PNL that is still willing to cooperate with the Social Democrats. Adrian Vestia belongs to this wing. Also, no government that ousts the far right can be formed without Social Democrats.
Has Romania’s President violated his principles?
Philosopher and one of Romania’s most prominent political commentators, Andrei Cornia, says the president has long been violating his principles, for example when he refused to sign a law imposing tougher penalties for fascist propaganda. Or when they put individuals of questionable integrity in charge of anti-corruption agencies.
Andrei Koprnia writes in the weekly, “It seemed to us that Nikosor Dan, no matter what mistakes he made, from our point of view, remained a democrat.” revista 22. “For a long time, we believed that Nikosor Dan was ‘our president.’ Once again – for the umpteenth time – we were wrong. Now we know: He’s ‘their’ President!”
This article was translated from German