Trio of European elections see liberal wins, far-right gains, and uncertain mandates

Voters in Romania, Poland, and Portugal headed to the polls on Sunday, producing one confirmed result and two closely watched exit polls — all reflecting a continent grappling with growing polarisation.

In Romania, Bucharest’s liberal mayor Nicusor Dan has officially won the presidential race, defeating far-right nationalist George Simion in a high-stakes contest.

Dan, who had led in exit polls, saw his win confirmed as results were counted, despite Simion prematurely declaring victory.

“Victory is yours,” Dan told supporters after securing the presidency.

His win comes after Romania’s previous election was annulled late last year amid controversy and allegations of Russian interference.

In Poland, voters cast ballots in a presidential election that is heading to a second round. Exit polls from Polish television suggest Warsaw’s liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski leads narrowly with 30.8%, ahead of national-conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki, who received 29.1%.

With no candidate surpassing the 50% threshold, a run-off has been scheduled for 1 June.

Meanwhile, in Portugal, the Democratic Alliance (AD) appears to have won the general election, but is likely to fall short of a parliamentary majority. According to exit polls for TVI and CNN Portugal, the AD secured between 29.1% and 35.1% of the vote.

The vote marks the third general election in as many years. The election also saw a major breakthrough for the far-right Chega party, which is now predicted to rival the opposition Socialists in vote share.