The President of Romania surrenders to the political crisis, informs party leaders to return to the Cotroceni Palace only when a stable majority can support a new government.
The exit of the head of state is not the result of any sophisticated strategy, but a recognition that he has run out of solutions. He has been part of the problem, aligning himself with the PSD, it is not clear whether he did it intentionally or failed there because of his personal war with Ilie Bolojan.
Rarely has a President of Romania openly clashed with a Prime Minister, although traditionally, tensions have always arisen between the Cotroceni Palace and the Victoria Palace after 1990 due to the constitutional architecture.
At this moment, the relationship between Nicușor Dan and Bolojan has deteriorated so badly that each of them is fighting for political survival, believing that this can only be achieved by annihilating the authority of the other.
The President of Romania holds a lot of power and is a favorite because he leads "the system," as he himself put it, and the system includes justice, intelligence services, the army, and many other structures.
A partial victory and a defeat
Without exception, the presidents since 1990 have won the confrontations with appointed Prime Ministers, either because they were people who did not go against the word of the head of state, or because the Prime Ministers who clashed with the President were removed following political machinations.
However, sitting Presidents have never won the game against politicians who have emerged as opposition leaders and managed to capture public attention.
Ion Iliescu failed in 1996 against Emil Constantinescu. In 2004, once again, Ion Iliescu failed to impose Adrian Năstase as his successor at the Cotroceni Palace and lost to Traian Băsescu.
Then, in 2014, the latter lost to Klaus Iohannis, even though the sitting President supported Elena Udrea as his successor at the Cotroceni Palace.
Nicușor Dan's situation is much more fragile than those mentioned above who won the elections with the help of an important political vehicle - a party or an alliance - the current President securing his victory as an independent, in a complicated context for Romania.
Nicușor Dan has a chance to defeat Prime Minister Bolojan, partially, he has already done it, as the government was dismissed through a vote of no confidence, remaining in office only due to the political deadlock.
But the President will no longer be able to defeat the opposition leader, Ilie Bolojan.
Furthermore, with the proposal of Siegfried Mureșan as Prime Minister from the PNL, a tandem has been created with Bolojan, receiving positive feedback from society, despite the compromising operations and negative campaign carried out on media networks financed by the PSD.
It is difficult to say if and when parliamentary elections will take place. The current deadlock, especially if party discussions continue for at least another month, will only erode the PSD, seen as the party that triggered the political crisis, as well as the public support for the President of Romania, perceived as a leader who has done too little or nothing to discipline the social democrats and maintain political stability.
On the other hand, Ilie Bolojan, in the role of victim, will continue to create more and more anchors in society and to coagulate dissatisfaction with a dysfunctional and corrupt institutional system.
233 people
Yesterday, around 3:00 PM, Nicușor Dan, the President of Romania, held a press conference after meeting with European ambassadors in Bucharest, calmly and patiently answering reporters' questions.
After a long period, the head of state came before the public adopting a more understanding tone, trying to explain his actions and decisions that have been hard to understand in recent weeks.
For a Prime Minister to form a majority, he must be appointed. And I said that at the moment of designation, I want there to be a majority...
Nicușor Dan, President of Romania, press conference, June 30, 2026
Most likely, the collapse of public support has led him to change his attitude and try to distance himself from the PSD's influence.
He patiently listened to the questions and tried to answer them as diligently as possible, aiming to be convincing, well-intentioned, and open.
"I ask for there to be 233 people that I can be sure will vote. For there to be those 233 people, for them to understand each other, there must be an agreement… But, from my perspective, I do not ask for any agreement, any condition, just for there to be 233 people," announced Nicușor Dan regarding his expectation for a new Prime Minister designation.
We are witnessing a major change compared to the beginning of the political crisis, immediately after the adoption of the vote of no confidence.
At that time, Nicușor Dan spoke of red lines, that he does not accept negotiations with the extremist party AUR. Meanwhile, all criteria have disappeared.
Who is leading Romania in the right direction?
"...unlike previous situations, where there was a reasonable expectation that the government would pass, yes, I repeat, following the discussions we had with the parties, now it is certain that it will not pass. And I don't want us to play the game of being Prime Minister and designation...," the President of Romania further stated.
The conclusion that there is no majority in parliament to support a government comes after two months of political crisis in which Nicușor Dan made two designations, each more adventurous and unrealistic than the other, alienating the political formations that supported him in the electoral campaign, as well as a large part of those who voted for him.
In reality, such a majority has never existed since the PSD left the governing coalition. Only the President's misjudgment has brought the situation to this total deadlock.
Transferring some of his mistakes to the shoulders of the parties now is just an attempt to rebuild his public image.
Nicușor Dan, when asked about the revolt he sparked on social media, the thousands of criticisms from his supporters, and the disappointment in society, said he is a rational politician.
"And when a rational person makes a decision against a part of his supporters, it means he has a valid reason. Because otherwise, your politician instinct tells you to go along with what your supporters tell you," stated the President of Romania.
"And this means that I, being a rational politician, means that, in my opinion, obviously, with the responsibility and oath I took at the inauguration, I believe that I am right and leading Romania in the right direction," Nicușor Dan added.
The President's appearance represented the application of a crisis communication strategy, announcing that he is withdrawing from political negotiations to form a new government after two consecutive failures, as well as a political repositioning, after associating himself with the PSD and the PNL coup leaders, dreaming of a new USL and a government of his own.
After a disastrous first year in office, where he delivered nothing of what he promised in the electoral campaign, Nicușor Dan is trying to rebuild his image, hoping to withstand at the Cotroceni Palace until 2030, without causing a new political crisis.