It must have been relief for the Romanian president after weeks of political tensions, consultations with warring politicians, and heaps of public opprobrium.
Nicusor Dan made an impromptu late-night walkabout in the northwest city of Cluj where he mingled with the public in an attempt to defuse tensions and criticism caused by the seven-week crisis which many have blamed him for.
President Dan made the unannounced stop in Cluj late Wednesday after attending Independence Day celebrations in Bucharest where he stressed Romania’s pro-Western path and warned of Russian aggression.
On Thursday, he attends the Eastern Flank Summit which is taking place in the Polish city of Gdansk.
Dan said he stopped off in Cluj to meet the organizers of Techsylvania, a regional IT conference, close to the Babeș-Bolyai University. After a dinner with organizers, he went outside and interacted with people for about an hour.
Asked by a journalist about his role in the political crisis, he said:
“I have 20 years’ experience of public life and when I make a decision, I think that people should be convinced that (I made them)… for the good of Romania,” he said.
Conceding he may have made mistakes he said: “Sometimes it’s harder to distinguish between step 1, step 2, step 3… and very tempting to make a gesture in step 1 that has negative consequences in step 2,” he added.
“This is how I am, but I want to assure everyone that I understand very well the responsibility of the mandate,” he went on.
Images show Dan surrounded by groups of students, some of them invited by the Techsylvania organizers who were there for the IT conference.
Scurtă oprire aseară la Cluj, înainte de plecarea în Polonia pentru Summitul Flancului Estic.
Energia acestui oraș și entuziasmul tinerilor de aici sunt extraordinare.
Anterior, am avut o discuție consistentă cu organizatorii Techsylvania, cel mai important eveniment de… pic.twitter.com/BMul6wNlfb
— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) June 25, 2026
The area is full of restaurants and cafes and people clambered to take pictures with the president.
The shift of mood from the political tensions in the capital prompted Dan to say: “The energy of this city and the enthusiasm of youngsters is extraordinary.”
Thursday’s summit is hosted by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and will be attended by presidents of Romania and Lithuania, as well as by Prime Ministers of Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Latvia.
Techsylvania is the leading regional tech and business conference bringing together thousands of founders, investors, and executives
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