Who is Dominic Fritz?
Dominic Fritz is one of very few mayors in the world elected twice without holding the citizenship of the country he serves. He is Mayor of Timișoara, in western Romania, and President of the Save Romania Union (USR), a pro-European, reform-oriented party.
Born and raised in Germany, he first came to Romania at 19 and spent a year volunteering in a children's home in Timișoara. He learned Romanian and kept returning to the city over the years. He obtained Romanian citizenship in December 2025.
He studied political and administrative science at the University of Konstanz, at Sciences Po Paris and at the University of York, began his career at the German development agency GIZ and later became chief of staff to Horst Köhler, a former President of Germany. His involvement in the Romanian anti-corruption movement between 2017 and 2019 drew him into public life, and he won the 2020 election in Timișoara against the incumbent mayor.
Across his terms the city has invested at record levels in public schools and in urban mobility, and Timișoara City Hall has become the most digitally advanced local administration in Romania. The municipality attracted €500 million in European funds, and a central priority has been the recovery of public assets used illegally or abusively for decades. In 2023 the city held the title of European Capital of Culture.
He has led USR Timiș since July 2021 and was elected President of USR in the first round on 13 June 2025, with 67.2% of the vote. Under his leadership the party joined the pro-European coalition government.