(26 May 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bucharest, Romania – 26 May 2025
1. Nicusor Dan greeting members of parliament before taking oath
2. Wide of parliament session
3. Dan during national anthem
4. Parliament session during anthem
5. Dan looking through notes before oath
6. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Nicusor Dan, President of Romania:
“I swear to give all my strength and wisdom for the wealth of the Romanian people, I swear to respect the constitution and laws of the country, I swear to defend democracy, the fundamental rights and freedoms of its citizens, to defend the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Romania. So help me God.”
7. MPs applauding
8. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) Nicusor Dan, President of Romania:
“Romanian society showed to herself that it’s alive and powerful. The Romanian state needs a fundamental change of course within the limits of the rule of law, and I invite you to continue to be involved with all the social force you proved to put positive pressure on Romanian state institutions in order for these to reform. And I assure you I will be a president open to the voice of the society and a partner of the society.”
9. Wide of parliament
10. Dan during applause
STORYLINE:
Romania’s newly elected president Nicusor Dan was officially sworn in on Monday, ushering in a tentative close to the worst political crisis to grip the European Union country in decades after the annulment of the previous election.
But multiple challenges lie ahead.
Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician and former mayor of the capital, Bucharest, decisively won the tense rerun in a runoff on May 18, beating his hard-right opponent George Simion, who later challenged the results at a top court, but was rejected last week.
At the inauguration ceremony in a joint session of Parliament, Dan signed the constitutional oath.
In a speech afterward, he promised to tackle Romania’s economic woes and to be a president "open to the voice of society.”
“The Romanian state needs a fundamental change … and I invite you to continue to be involved with all the social force you have proven, to put positive pressure on the institutions of the Romanian state so that they can reform,” he said.
The May election redo was held months after the Constitutional Court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu led the first round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.
The court’s unprecedented decision last year plunged Romania, which is a member of NATO as well as the EU, into a period of unprecedented political turmoil.
The presidential role carries a five-year term and significant decision-making powers in national security and foreign policy.
In the presidential election rerun, Dan ran independently on an “Honest Romania” ticket, reaffirming Western ties, continued support for Ukraine, and fiscal reforms.
Many observers viewed the election outcome as crucial to maintaining Romania’s place within Western alliances, especially as the war continues in neighboring Ukraine.
At the same time, the continent scrambles to arm itself as the United States’ commitment to European partners has waned under US President Donald Trump.
As Dan begins his mandate, he faces the immediate challenge of nominating a prime minister who can garner the support necessary to form a government, a tall order in a country where a rejection of the political class led to the emergence of figures like Georgescu and Simion.
AP video by Nick Dumitrache
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