independent
Which party was Nicușor Dan a member of from Jun 2017 to Jun 2018?
Nicușor Dan Nicușor Dan ( born 20 December 1969 ) is a Romanian activist , mathematician , former member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania , and former leader of the Save Romania Union ( USR ) political party . He is currently the incumbent Mayor of Bucharest . Biography . Born in Făgăraș , Brașov County , he attended the Radu Negru High School in his native city . He won first prizes in the International Mathematical Olympiads 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 . In 1992 , he moved to France to continue studying mathematics : he followed the courses of the École Normale Supérieure , one of the most prestigious French grande écoles , where he gained a masters degree . In 1998 Dan completed a PhD in mathematics at Paris 13 University , with thesis Courants de Green et prolongement méromorphe written under the direction of Christophe Soulé 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 . 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 within the Romanian Academys Institute of Mathematics . , he was a professor of mathematics at the institute . 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 Bucharests problems and ways to overcome them . In the same year , during the elections , together with other NGOs , the association drafted a Pact for Bucharest , which was signed by all the candidates for mayor of Bucharest . On April Fools Day in 2012 , Dan published a list of 100 electoral promises made by elected mayor of Bucharest Sorin Oprescu 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 on 7 hectares of Tineretului Park , 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 . The association was also able to push some changes in 2009 to the urban planning law . Political career . 2012 local elections . Nicușor Dan announced his candidacy for Mayor of Bucharest in November 2011 at a café on Arthur Verona street , with just a few guests , among which Theodor Paleologu , 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 . On 22 April , 15 bands and musicians performed pro-bono at Arenele Romane for Dans 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 over other traffic in intersections , consolidating buildings that are likely to be affected by earthquakes , 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 , and attracting investors and skilled people from across the region . Support and opinions on his candidacy . He received support from Andrei Pleșu , 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 . Dan gained the support of some journalists who wrote about him in op-eds from several newspapers : Andrei Crăciun of Adevărul 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 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 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 . 2016 local elections . Having registered Save Bucharest Union ( USB ) as a political party in 2015 , Nicușor Dan ran again for Mayor of Bucharest 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 , who gained 42,97% of the total votes . In the election , Dan managed to attract the young electorate , with over half of his voters being under the age of 40 . Some of USBs candidates for sector mayor have also performed well in their respective races , proving USBs 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 ( 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 race and 8.87% in the Chamber of Deputies , 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 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 . 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 October 5 , 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 ( 37,97% ) , the former Mayor . 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 . In May 2016 , they became the parents of a baby girl . External links . - Nicușor Dans website - Salvați Bucureștiul ( Save Bucharest ) Association - https://www.worldcat.org/identities/viaf-195149717430410950936/