On 18 May, Romania held its presidential run-off, resulting in a defeat for the far right. Polls also opened in Poland and Portugal over the weekend.

Romania finally has its president. After the annulment of last November's presidential election, alleged Russian interference, large-scale public protests and several judicial interventions, the vote on 18 May delivered victory to Nicușor Dan. The independent, pro-European candidate faced off in the run-off against far-right ultranationalist George Simion, who had won the first round in early May by a landslide. Turnout was the highest Romania has seen in 20 years, and it was precisely this broad mobilisation that made the upset possible. Simion initially alleged irregularities in the vote before eventually conceding defeat.

On 4 May 2025, Romania held the first round of its presidential election. The vote was called following the annulment of the November ballot, which had seen far-right candidate Călin Georgescu come out on top. That result was subsequently overturned by the Constitutional Court on grounds of alleged Russian interference, and Georgescu was barred from standing in the new race due to ongoing criminal investigations against him.

The first round was won by George Simion, leader of the ultranationalist far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and backed by Georgescu himself. It was a crushing victory, with 40.96 per cent of the vote — roughly double the share secured by Nicușor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and the candidate supported by a coalition of pro-European parties, who came in second. The run-off between the two took place on 18 May. And the tables were turned.

Nicușor Dan secured 53.6 per cent of the vote against Simion's 46.4 per cent. An outcome that seemed unthinkable given the first-round results, it can be explained by the exceptionally high turnout in the run-off. While just 53.2 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in early May, that figure rose to 64.72 per cent in the second round. The surge was driven by a reaction to the prospect — or the threat — of Romania's presidency falling into far-right hands, and channelled a large number of votes toward the pro-European candidate Nicușor Dan.

Nicușor Dan is the mayor of the capital Bucharest, currently serving his second term. He has distinguished himself through a fierce fight against corruption and real estate speculation, while during the presidential campaign he took clear stances in support of European integration, NATO and Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

A fost o mobilizare fără precedent și, de aceea, victoria este a fiecăruia dintre voi. A fiecărui român care a ieșit la vot, și-a făcut vocea auzită și a luptat astfel pentru ceea ce crede, pentru țara pe care o vrea și în care își dorește să trăiască. De mâine, începem… pic.twitter.com/Fuyz87DIlQ

He is an anti-establishment figure in the sense that he does not belong to the parties that have governed Romania in recent years and which have been rejected by voters. In the first round, Crin Antonescu, the governing coalition's candidate, stalled at 20.18 per cent of the vote, finishing third and failing to reach the run-off. This also triggered the fall of the government.

Beyond the high turnout against the far right, Dan's victory can also be attributed to his independent profile relative to the Romanian political establishment. "The country wants dialogue, not hatred," Dan declared once his victory was certified. Far-right candidate George Simion initially alleged irregularities in the vote before conceding defeat.

Romania was not the only country heading to the polls last weekend. Poland also held the first round of its presidential election. The liberal, pro-European candidate Rafał Trzaskowski — affiliated with the centre-right party Civic Coalition that leads the government and known for holding very conservative positions on civil rights — came first with 31.2 per cent of the vote. Karol Nawrocki, the candidate of the far-right party Law and Justice, finished second with 29.7 per cent. The two will face each other in the run-off on 2 June.

Portugal also went to the polls, this time for parliamentary elections. Victory went to the centre-right governing party Alleanza Democratica, which secured 32.7 per cent of the vote but lost its majority. The Partido Socialista came in second with 23.2 per cent, while the real surprise of the night was Chega, the far-right party, which obtained 22.5 per cent of the vote and 52 seats in parliament — the same number as the socialists. A historic result, it brings to an end decades of Portuguese politics defined by two-party dominance, and prompted Pedro Nuno Santos to resign as secretary-general of the Partido Socialista.