Nicușor Dan says 'you cannot fight the system when you are its head,' calls for reform without anarchy and swift government formation

A different kind of fight

Romanian President Nicușor Dan, speaking during a visit to Gdańsk on Thursday, acknowledged the apparent contradiction at the heart of his presidency: after two decades of campaigning against the political establishment, he now leads it. "20 years of fighting the system, I think that's a certainty. You cannot fight the system when you are the head of the system," he said. The statement was a direct reply to supporters and critics who have accused him of becoming part of the very structures he once opposed.

You cannot fight the system when you are the head of the system.

The president framed the immediate challenge as one of method: how to pursue deep institutional reform without triggering instability. "The question is how we can reform the system without leading this country into anarchy. That is the mission I have taken on," Dan added, signaling a preference for measured, administrative levers over the confrontational rhetoric of past campaigns.

The barking dog and the biting dog

To illustrate his approach, Dan deployed a sharp metaphor. "Between a barking dog and a biting dog, I prefer a biting dog. Between declaiming how loudly we will reform the system (we have many declaimers) and actually having the instruments to reform it, I always, as I did at the Bucharest City Hall, hope to put myself in the position of having those instruments," he said. The president thus drew a line between performative politics and the quiet accumulation of executive tools needed for lasting change.

Between a barking dog and a biting dog, I prefer a biting dog.

Dan's reference to his mayoral tenure was not incidental: it served as a credential for navigating bureaucracy without provoking institutional breakdown. The implicit message was that reform, in his view, is a slow, administrative process, not a rhetorical spectacle.

Waiting for a majority

Beyond the philosophical remarks, Dan addressed the immediate political deadlock. "I expect the parties to come to me with a majority," he said, recalling public consultations held two days earlier. He indicated that at least one solution emerged from those talks, a minority government supported by a parliamentary majority, but stressed that after two months of failed attempts, responsibility now lies with party leaders to produce a stable majority formula.

I expect the parties to come to me with a majority.

The president referenced his earlier designations of Mr. Tomac and Mr. Veștea as prime ministerial candidates, both of which collapsed after some leaders changed their positions. "This reasonable expectation did not materialize because certain leaders changed their opinion," he noted, underscoring the volatility that has prevented the formation of a new government since the recent political crisis began.

Pro-Western clarity

Amid the reform talk and coalition wrangling, Dan insisted on preserving a clear ideological boundary. "It is very important that we keep, that we draw the line of demarcation between pro-West and anti-West, and not waste our energies on infighting within a pro-Western vision," he argued. This line, he reminded his audience, was one he defended even during the electoral campaign when he criticized the system.

When asked whether the head of the system could deliver the "honest Romania" he had promised voters, Dan replied with cautious optimism: "Yes, in time. In time, and without causing anarchy." The answer encapsulated the central tension of his message: a commitment to transformation tempered by a fear of the chaos that abrupt ruptures might bring.