Nikushor Dan (Photo: EPA)

On May 26, Nicos Dan officially took office as President of Romania. The inauguration ceremony began at 12:00 in the Parliament, where the newly elected head of state took the oath before a joint session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, Radio Liberty's Romanian Service and Euronews Romania report.

In his first speech as president, Dan declared that the country needed massive modernization and called for reforms.

"The Romanian state needs fundamental changes, of course, within the framework of the rule of law, and I invite you to continue to participate with all the social strength you have demonstrated to exert positive pressure on the institutions of the Romanian state," Dan said.

He also outlined the key priorities of his mandate – fiscal stability, digitalization, the fight against corruption, modernization of the healthcare and education systems, as well as strengthening foreign policy ties, in particular with the Republic of Moldova and the European Union and NATO.

He also emphasized reducing critical dependencies in energy, technology, and supply chains and strengthening the defense system against hybrid warfare.

After the speech in Parliament, at 1:30 p.m., a military ceremony took place at the Cotroceni Palace. A few minutes later, interim President Illie Bolozhan officially handed over the mandate to the newly elected head of state.