Save Romania Union
The Save Romania Union (Romanian: Uniunea Salvați România, USR) is a liberal political party active in Romania, currently the third largest party in the Parliament of Romania with 41 deputies and 20 senators, and a fifth at local level nationwide (following the 2020 Romanian local elections), after the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) and the People's Movement Party (PMP), two smaller centre-right political parties in the country.
Save Romania Union Uniunea Salvați România | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | USR |
| Leader | Cătălin Drulă |
| Leader in the Senate | Radu-Mihai Mihail |
| Leader in the Chamber of Deputies | Liviu-Ionuț Moșteanu |
| Founder | Nicușor Dan |
| Founded | 21 August 2016 |
| Preceded by | USB |
| Headquarters | Blvd. Aviatorilor 9, Bucharest |
| Youth wing | USR Tineret |
| Membership (2021) | 48,959 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre to centre-right |
| National affiliation | USR PLUS (2019–2021) United Right Alliance (since 2023) |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| European Parliament group | Renew Europe |
| Colours | Navy blue and red (since 2022) Blue and orange (until 2022) |
| Slogan | O Românie fără hoție (A Romania without thievery) |
| Senate | 20 / 136 |
| Chamber of Deputies | 41 / 330 |
| European Parliament | 2 / 33 |
| Mayors | 46 / 3,176 |
| County Councilors | 108 / 1,340 |
| Local Councilors | 1,207 / 39,900 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The party was founded following the success of the Save Bucharest Union (USB) party in the 2016 local elections. After being officially registered as a political party in 2016, it united with the local USB and Union for Codlea parties, thus gaining most of its initial membership base from the two latter parties.
Between 2016 and 2020, it was the third largest political party in the Romanian Parliament after the 2016 legislative elections and ran on an anti-corruption platform. In 2019, it established a political alliance with the Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS) led by former technocratic Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș which it eventually absorbed in 2021. Dacian Cioloș, who was also subsequently elected president of the party but who resigned in the meantime from this position, left the USR with a group of followers (most notably several MEPs) in late May 2022 in order to form his own party called REPER.
Starting from December 2020 onwards, USR is still the third largest political party in the Romanian Parliament after the 2020 Romanian legislative elections, running once more on an even successful anti-corruption platform compared to the previous legislative elections from 2016.