Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan first to officially submit candidacy for 2025 presidential elections
Bucharest general mayor Nicușor Dan submitted his candidacy for the 2025 presidential elections on Friday, March 7, the first to do so among the announced candidates. He is running as an independent, and was assisted by volunteers to…
Radu Dumitrescu · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
Bucharest general mayor Nicușor Dan submitted his candidacy for the 2025 presidential elections on Friday, March 7, the first to do so among the announced candidates. He is running as an independent, and was assisted by volunteers to gather the necessary signatures.
The 2025 presidential elections will take place on May 4 (first round) and May 18 (second round). The deadline for submitting candidacies in March 15.
"The upcoming electoral campaign is about a large category of Romanians who are honest, who work, who pay their taxes, who have common sense, and who ask for very, very little. They ask for their voice to be heard and for the state authorities, which they pay, to work for them and not for certain groups," said Nicușor Dan on the occasion, cited by Libertatea.
Responding to questions posed by journalists, Nicușor Dan said that he has raised approximately RON 1.7 - 1.8 million (EUR 361,000) through donations so far and has allocated EUR 200,000 for advertising billboards, already visible in the country.
"These are funds from donations. There are about 320 - 330 billboards in Bucharest and across the country," the mayor stated on Friday in a press briefing at the Central Electoral Bureau.
Racing for the run-off
According to a recent poll, far-right and pro-Russian politician Călin Georgescu, who is expected to submit his candidacy as well, remains the favorite in the presidential elections. He is followed by governing coalition candidate Crin Antonescu and Nicușor Dan, in a race for the run-off.
Percentages and placings may change dramatically if Georgescu is not allowed to run, as many expect.
During the presidential elections on November 24, 2024, Călin Georgescu (independent) and Elena Lasconi (USR) received the most votes, qualifying for the second round. However, on December 6, 2024, the Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round, after a series of documents were made public indicating foreign interference.
More recently, prosecutors placed Georgescu, who claims to have run his previous presidential campaign without any funds, under judicial control for incitement to actions against constitutional order, dissemination of false information, repeated false statements (regarding the sources of electoral campaign financing and asset declarations), and involvement in or support of fascist, racist, or xenophobic organizations.
