Far-Right Parties Bid for Power in Europe's Election 'Super Sunday'

Newsweek

18-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Europe's "Super Sunday" of elections are expected to see far-right parties making strong advances in Romania and Poland, while Portugal is expected to remain relatively centrist.
Newsweek contacted a European Union (EU) spokesperson for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
There has been growing support for right-wing parties across Europe, with many ideologies said to be in line with those in the United States.
Romania's Runoff
In Romania, voters returned to the polls for a presidential runoff between centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan and far-right populist George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR).
Simion, running on a nationalist, anti-EU platform, has gained momentum, particularly among the Romanian diaspora, where Dan, a pro-European technocrat, is relying on high voter turnout abroad to secure victory.
As reported by First Post, official electoral data indicates a high turnout, with over 4.6 million people, or 25 per cent of eligible voters, voting by noon local time in Romania's election.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and are set to close at 9 p.m. Additionally, more than 750,000 Romanians abroad have cast their ballots since special overseas polling stations opened on Friday.
As reported by U.K newspaper The Guardian, "Recent polls have shown the gap between the two candidates closing, with one putting them neck-and-neck and another placing Dan, who has described the vote as a battle between "a pro-Western and an anti-Western Romania," ahead."
The outcome could reshape Romania's alignment with the EU and NATO.
European flags in Brussels on May 13, 2025.
European flags in Brussels on May 13, 2025.
Nicolas TUCAT / AFP via Getty Images)/Getty Images
EU and Abortion Key Issues in Poland
In Poland, the presidential election saw a turnout rate of over 20 percent of eligible voters by midday, German TV network DW cited the country's electoral commission as saying, according to First Post.
Although turnout is 4 percentage points lower than at the same point in the 2020 presidential election, it is 6 points higher than in 2015. Poland has approximately 28.3 million eligible voters.
As reported by First Post, Poland is holding a presidential election against a backdrop of growing security concerns, fueled by the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine and anxiety over a potential U.S. retreat from European defense commitments under President Donald Trump.
The leading candidates are Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a liberal ally of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian with no previous political experience, supported by the right-wing Law and Justice party.
Key issues include judicial reforms, abortion rights, and EU relations. Trzaskowski represents the pro-European Civic Coalition, while Nawrocki is aligned with nationalist and traditionalist views.
What To Know
On Friday, as reported by the Kyiv Independent, Tusk claimed that Russian hackers had targeted the websites of ruling coalition parties, just days ahead of the election.
Tusk wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Two days before the elections, a group of Russian hackers operating on Telegram attacked the websites of Civic Platform."
He said the cyberattacks also targeted the Left and Polish People's Party (PSL), both members of his coalition, and Poland's Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski earlier described Russia's interference as "unprecedented," reported the Kyiv Independent.
Poland's presidential election on Sunday will determine whether the country continues along Tusk's pro-European path or shifts toward nationalist policies reminiscent of those championed by Trump.
In Portugal, the election was called just a year into the center-right minority government's term after Prime Minister Luís Montenegro lost a confidence vote in March. However, the country continues to show resilience against the far-right trend occurring in much of Europe. Montenegro has pledged to avoid any cooperation with the far-right Chega party.
What Happens Next
The wider picture across the continent suggests continuing and increasing support for nationalist, anti-immigration, and Eurosceptic platforms. In France and Germany, far-right parties made record gains in European Parliamentary elections, signaling a continental shift. Austria's Freedom Party (FPO) also secured a historic national win last year.