Nicusor Dan, the former civic activist and pro-European Union centrist politician who defied odds to decisively defeat a hard-right nationalist in Romania's critical presidential race, has emerged as a counterforce to the right-wing populist wave sweeping across Eastern Europe Final results from the presidential race showed Dan,

It was held months after the cancelation of the previous election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades.

But Romania's growth has steadily slowed since a post-pandemic bounce in 2021, and the European Commission forecasts its budget deficit at 8.6% this year and 8.4% in 2026, well above the government's 7% 2025 target outlined in a seven-year EU-approved plan.