section_path: Early political career/Save Romania Union/Departure from USR
section_name: Departure from USR
paragraph_text: Departure from USR
  
  In 2017, anti-same-sex NGO Coaliția pentru Familie managed to raise the necessary number of signatures to organise a referendum that would change the part of the Romanian Constitution dealing with marriage, with the hope of redefining it as "between a man and a woman". This created a rift within USR, between the progressive wing, who wanted USR to become the only parliamentary party to oppose the initiative, and Dan, who believed USR should not get involved in the debate and that the party should remain open for both progressives and conservatives. An internal referendum within the party followed, in which 52.7% of members voted to position the party against the Constitutional initiative, which led Dan to resign from the party on 1 June 2017. As explanation for his opposition to the National Council vote he cited religious matters, the dangers of deviating from the main party issue of fighting against corruption and his refusal to belong to a party that defines itself as a party of civil liberties.