Romanian presidential candidate Nicusor Dan speaks to supporters after exit poll results were announced in Bucharest, on May 18, 2025.AFP - DANIEL MIHAILESCU
Near complete results in Romania on Sunday indicated Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest, won the presidential election and beat his far-right rival George Simon. In Poland, liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was narrowly ahead of nationalist Karol Nawrocki in the first presidential election round. And in Portugal, the incumbent centre-right party won most seats but fell short of a parliamentary majority, while support for the far-right Chega rose.
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🇷🇴 - 'France will stand by your side to strengthen our partnership', Macron tells Dan
🇷🇴 - EU Council president congratulates Nicusor Dan
🇷🇴 - Ursula von der Leyen congratulates Nicusor Dan
🇵🇹 - Socialists take over Chega in tight struggle for second place
The Socialist Party in Portugal leapfrogged the far-right Chega party and moved to second place.
They now have 23.27 percent of votes and Chega have 22.86 percent, with nearly 98 percent of total votes counted.
🇷🇴 - Pro-EU winner of Romanian election thanks supporters
🇷🇴 - Nicusor Dan expects government coalition talks to last a few weeks
Romanian centrist politician Nicusor Dan, who is set to win a run-off presidential vote with nearly all votes counted on Sunday, said he expects coalition talks to form a new government will last a few weeks.
Speaking to private television station Digi24, Dan said he wanted a new coalition government to include all four centre-right and centre-left parliamentary parties.
🇷🇴 - Supporters of Nicusor Dan celebrate in Romanian capital Bucharest
FRANCE 24 correspondent Maria Gerth-Niculescu said supporters in Bucharest are "chanting, saying that they are relieved and happy that their country is going to continue on its pro-European path".
🇷🇴 - Pro-EU centrist Nicusor Dan takes clear lead in Romanian election after 97 percent of votes counted
The pro-European Union candidate in Romania’s tense presidential runoff has taken a clear lead in the polls, nearly complete electoral data shows, in a closely-watched vote against a hard-right nationalist that could determine the geopolitical direction of the NATO member country.
Nicusor Dan was in front with 54.32 percent of the vote in the second round of a presidential election on Sunday, leading hard-right rival George Simion with 45.68 percent, after 97 percent of votes had been counted.
🇵🇱 - Liberal candidate loses out in first round of Polish election despite lead in poll
Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was slightly ahead of conservative historian Karol Nawrocki in an exit poll on Sunday. The two are front-runners in a presidential election in Poland, and will face off in a second round in two weeks.
“It can be considered an unsuccessful campaign for Trzaskowski,” said FRANCE 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg.
“Far-right votes add up to over 20 percent, and those are votes that are likely to go to Nawrocki in the second round.”
🇵🇹 - Far-right Chega party makes big wins with 85 percent of votes counted
The anti-establishment Chega party reached 23.68 percent of votes on Sunday, surpassing the Socialist Party who garnered 22.80 percent, with 85 percent of total votes counted.
Like other far-right parties that have gained ground across Europe, Chega has tapped into hostility to immigration and concerns over crime.
The party has grown rapidly under the leadership of Andre Ventura, a 42-year-old former TV football commentator.
It won 1.3 percent of the vote in an election in 2019 the year he founded it, giving it a seat in parliament, which was the first time a far-right party had won representation in Portugal's parliament since a 1974 coup toppled a decades-old rightist dictatorship.
Chega became the third-largest force in parliament in the next general election in 2022 and quadrupled its parliamentary seats last year to 50.
🇵🇱 - Next two weeks will decide about future of Poland, PM Tusk says
The next two weeks will decide about future of Poland, the country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X commenting on the narrow lead of the ruling party candidate Rafal Trzaskowski in the first round of presidential elections.
🇵🇱 - Centrist Polish mayor says 'we are going for victory' after lead in exit polls
Centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who was seen ahead in the first round of Poland's presidential election on Sunday according to an exit poll, said he was going for a victory and he would cooperate with the government.
"I said it would be close and it is close. A lot of work ahead of us, we need determination, we need your votes...," Trzaskowski said in Sandomierz on Sunday.
🇵🇱 - Polish nationalist candidate Nawrocki calls on far-right voters to 'save Poland'
Polish nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki told supporters in Gdansk he would win the election and called on far-right voters who backed other candidates to "save Poland", after he lost narrowly in the first round of elections according to an exit poll.
🇷🇴 - Romanian pro-EU candidate still ahead after 90 percent of votes counted
Romanian centrist candidate Nicusor Dan was still ahead of far-right rival George Simion in the second round of a presidential election on Sunday after 90 percent of votes had been counted.
🇵🇹 - Exit polls show Portugal's centre-right AD ahead in election, no majority
Portugal's ruling centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) was poised to win the most votes in Sunday's early parliamentary election, but came in short of a full majority, three exit polls showed, putting the AD in the 29-35.1 percent range.
The far-right Chega party got around 20 percent, polls indicated.
AD leader and acting Prime Minister Luis Montenegro refuses to make any deals with the party.
In the previous election in March 2024, the AD won around 29 percent, leading to a minority government that collapsed a year later.
To win an outright majority, a party needs to garner at least 42 percent of the vote.
🇵🇱 - Polish centrist ahead in presidential election exit poll
Centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was seen ahead in the first round of Poland's presidential election on Sunday, an exit poll showed, a result that if confirmed could cement the pro-European path set by the government.
Trzaskowski, from the ruling Civic Coalition (KO), got 30.8 percent of the vote, according to the exit poll.
The candidate backed by nationalist opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), Karol Nawrocki, got 29.1 percent of votes, according to the poll, meaning he would face Trzaskowski in the second round.
To win a candidate must reach 50 percent, and a second round is to be held June 1. The official results are expected on Monday or Tuesday.
🇷🇴 - Romanian pro-EU candidate holds lead after 50 percent of votes counted
Romanian centrist candidate Nicusor Dan was ahead of far-right rival George Simion in the second round of a presidential election on Sunday after 50 percent of votes had been counted.
🇵🇱 - Polling stations in Poland to close in five minutes
🇷🇴 - Early exit polls favour centrist candidate in Romania presidential election
Though exit polls showed centrist Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan on course to win the Romanian presidency on Sunday, FRANCE 24 correspondent on the ground Maria Gerth-Niculescu said “we have to be very careful because these exist polls don’t include the diaspora, who massively voted for George Simion in the first round”.
