The École normale supérieure (ENS), the top higher education institution whose history goes back to the time of the French Revolution, has congratulated Nicușor Dan on being elected president of Romania following the May 18 run-off.

Dan, who earned gold medals at the International Math Olympiads in 1987 and 1988, graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics of the University of Bucharest. In 1992, he went to France to study mathematics at the ENS. He went on to pursue his doctoral studies also in France and earned his PhD in 1998 at the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord.

Upon returning to Romania, he started working at the Institute of Mathematics, a research institution of the Romanian Academy. He was also among the founders of Școala Normală Superioară București (SNSB), designed to offer students in exact sciences a teaching environment comparable to that of top universities worldwide.

"His career exemplifies all of the ENS's values ​​at the highest level: international openness, academic excellence, and commitment to serving society. The École Normale Supérieure's leadership wishes president Nicușor Dan success in his new term," a message from ENS reads.

Dan, who was elected last spring for a second mandate as mayor of Bucharest, defeated ultranationalist George Simion, the leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), in the run-off round this Sunday. Dan, who ran as an independent, gathered 53.60% of the votes to Simion's 46.40%. His platform emphasized the need for deep reforms, eradicating corruption, but also keeping the country on its EU course. 

(Photo: Nicușor Dan Facebook Page)

simona@romania-insider.com