Europe's 'MEGA' Stutter: Far-Right Bid for Power Falters Despite Gains

Newsweek

19-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Pro-EU candidate Nicușor Dan defeated hard-right contender George Simion in Romania's presidential election, delivering a centrist victory in Europe over a nationalist rival who had pledged to put the country on a path inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The result follows concerns about a populist wave on the continent, with the EU launching an investigation into Elon Musk's promotion of far-right candidates in Europe.
In January, the X owner used the slogan "Make Europe Great Again," or MEGA, in a nod to Trump's catchphrase.
Despite the defeat of Simion, who had once appealed to U.S. Republicans for support, right-wing parties had mixed fortunes in the weekend's elections elsewhere in Europe, making gains in Portugal's parliament but losing out in the first round of Poland's presidential ballot.
Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan salutes his supporters as he exits his campaign headquarters in Bucharest on May 18, 2025, after defeating nationalist George Simion in the presidential election.
Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan salutes his supporters as he exits his campaign headquarters in Bucharest on May 18, 2025, after defeating nationalist George Simion in the presidential election.Why It Matters
In January, Bloomberg reported that the EU was investigating whether Musk's social network X, formerly Twitter, breached the bloc's content moderation law in a move linked to concern over his use of the platform to promote right-wing candidates globally.
Musk has backed Europe's hard-right parties, including the AfD party candidates in Germany's federal election. He posted in January: "From MAGA to MEGA: Make Europe Great Again" in an echo of the rallying cry for Trump.
The victory of Simion in the first round of the Romanian election raised concerns about a right-wing wave spreading across Europe. But elections in Poland also pointed to a pivot back to the center.
What To Know
Simion won in Romania's election first round, but results from Sunday's second stage saw him trail Nicusor Dan by eight percentage points, 54 percent to 46 percent, Reuters reported Monday.
Simion had looked to Trump for inspiration, appearing at a Republican CPAC and previously asking for Musk's support.
Oana Popescu-Zamfir, director of the Bucharest-based think tank GlobalFocus Center, told Newsweek on Monday that the result showed it is harder for the MAGA recipe to work outside the U.S.
She said the far-right has had an abrupt rise in Romania thanks to disillusionment with the political class and with the quality of governance. But when presented with a candidate who appeared more capable, more competent and "perhaps more presidential...then that tide was quite quickly turned."
In emailed comments to Newsweek, Daniel Fried, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, said that Simion courted Trump's Make America Great Again movement, traveling to the Conservative Political Action Conference and appearing on Steve Bannon's podcast, "but this did not translate into support at home."
Poland And Portugal
The first round of Poland's presidential election saw the liberal mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, part of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Platform Party, defeat his right-wing rival, Karol Nawrocki, backed by the populist right-wing Law and Justice (PiS).
Despite the narrow win by Trzaskowski—31.36 percent to 29.54 percent—a surprise was how right-wing and far-right candidates gathered as many as 54 percent of the votes.
That will give Nawrocki a larger pool of the electorate to draw on in the second round, Piotr Buras, head of the Warsaw office of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told Newsweek.
Buras said the next two weeks will see a confrontation between a pro-EU, liberal and progressive version of Poland versus a nationalist, "Trumpist" and conservative one.
Nawrocki will have to stress his anti-European positions, even more than he was doing before, and he will also try to present himself as a faithful ally of Trump and the U.S., Buras added.
In Portugal, the ruling center-right coalition Democratic Alliance (AD/PSD-CDS) remained the strongest political force, getting 32 percent of votes and securing 89 seats in the 230-seat parliament—nine more than in the previous election.
However, the far-right Chega party gained a record 22.6 percent share of the vote, gaining eight seats for a total of 58.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the result was a vote of confidence in his party, but with votes from abroad still to be counted, Chega could replace the center-left socialists as the main opposition party.
What People Are Saying
Oana Popescu-Zamfir, director of the Bucharest-based think tank GlobalFocus Center: "I think we're seeing that the far right is not as entrenched as it might look."
Piotr Buras, ECFR: "Right wing and far-right candidates gathered as many as 54 percent of votes—this is the most surprising result.
"The campaign in the next two weeks will be very polarizing and brutal—a confrontation of two visions of Poland: pro-EU, liberal and progressive versus nationalist, Trumpist and conservative."
What Happens Next
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky was among leaders who praised Dan's victory in Romania as it maintains Bucharest's backing for Kyiv's fight against Russia at the heart of the EU. Voters in Poland will head to the polls on June 1 in what is expected to be a tight race with the prospect that Nawrocki could pick up the right-wing vote.
Portugal awaits the final results, which could allow Chega, led by the former television sports commentator Andre Ventura, to emerge as the main opposition party, although Montenegro has ruled out forming a coalition with it.