{"id":2436566,"date":"2025-05-19T15:47:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T19:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/populism-is-on-the-ballot-in-europes-multinational-election-blitz\/"},"modified":"2025-05-19T15:50:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T19:50:21","slug":"populism-is-on-the-ballot-in-europes-multinational-election-blitz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/populism-is-on-the-ballot-in-europes-multinational-election-blitz\/","title":{"rendered":"Populism is on the ballot in Europe&#8217;s multinational election blitz"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpopulism-is-on-the-ballot-in-europes-multinational-election-blitz%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2436566&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Recent elections in Portugal, Romania, and poland showcased meaningful shifts in the political landscape across Europe, highlighting the intense influence of populist movements. <\/p>\n<p>In **Portugal**, the right<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/covid-coup-french-national-assembly-rejects-macrons-vaccine-passport-in-shock-vote\/\" title=\"COVID Coup: French National Assembly Rejects Macron&#039;s Vaccine Passport in Shock ...\">-wing populist party<\/a> chega achieved a remarkable political upset by garnering over 22% of the vote in the national elections, disrupting the conventional two-party system dominated by the Social Democrats and the Socialist Party. Chega&#8217;s rise signals growing disillusionment with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-launches-attempt-to-effectively-reverse-supreme-courts-trump-decision\/\" title=\"Schumer Launches Attempt to &#039;Effectively Reverse&#039; Supreme Court&#039;s Trump Decision\">established political norms<\/a> and a demand for change. Its leader, Andre Ventura, celebrated the results, suggesting a new era in Portuguese politics.<\/p>\n<p>**Poland** witnessed a closely contested first round in its presidential election, with Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a progressive, narrowly leading over right-wing populist candidate Karol Nawrocki. This unexpected tight margin has intensified the urgency for both candidates ahead of the crucial second round of voting.<\/p>\n<p>In **Romania**, the nationalist candidate George Simion, who initially led in the first round, suffered a surprising defeat to Nicusor Dan, the pro-European candidate, in a runoff election. Dan&#8217;s victory has been interpreted as a rejection of right-wing populist tendencies in favor of a more cooperative and pro-West approach, creating hope for strengthened ties with Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>these developments reflect a complex interplay of nationalism, populism, and traditional politics, spotlighting the changing sentiments among European voters.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Populist movements see mixed results in Europe election blitz<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2125901\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Citizens in Portugal, Romania, and Poland all <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">cast ballots<\/a> over the weekend. Two of the elections ended, and there was a major upset in the countries&rsquo; balance of power. The third is ongoing and has shown a much tighter margin between candidates than expected.<\/p>\n<p>Nationalism remains the defining matter of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">European politics<\/a> as these elections have presented referendums on the populist movements gaining traction in the Old World.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3415468\/netanyahu-gaza-aid-international-pressure\/\">Netanyahu resumes letting aid into Gaza after international pressure<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3415199\/israel-begun-extensive-new-ground-operations-gaza\/\">Israel says it has begun &#8216;extensive&#8217; new ground operations in Gaza<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3415172\/vance-pope-leo-xiv-vatican-city-inauguration-mass\/\">Vance meets Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City for inauguration mass<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Portugal<\/h2>\n<p>Since the dawn of democracy in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/portugal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Portugal<\/a>, there has been a race between the center-right Social Democrats and the center-left Socialist Party. But years of political instability are making that arrangement increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n<p>A right-wing populist party known as Chega shocked the establishment on Sunday after bringing home more than 22% of the vote, a level of support that showed the nation is no longer operating on a de facto two-party system.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic Alliance, the Social Democrats&rsquo; governing coalition that was forced into a snap election two months ago, retained its shaky grasp on power with 89 out of 230 seats in the National Assembly.<\/p>\n<p>But the Socialist Party&rsquo;s support collapsed as Chega ascended. Both captured 58 seats in the Parliament, a watershed moment for the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >grassroots populist movement formed<\/a> less than a decade ago.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The hard-right populist party Chega leader Andre Ventura holds Portugal&rsquo;s flag following the country&rsquo;s general election in Lisbon, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ana Brigida)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Andre Ventura, Chega&rsquo;s founder and leader, saw the outcome as vindication for his war against the establishment parties.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done what no other party has ever achieved in Portugal. We can safely declare in front of all the country today that bipartisanship in Portugal is over,&rdquo; Ventura said, celebrating the upset.<\/p>\n<p>Chega, which translates to &ldquo;enough,&rdquo; came on the scene in 2019 with bombastic overtures to traditional values and patriotism.<\/p>\n<p>Bearing slogans such as &ldquo;God, country, family, and work&rdquo; and &ldquo;Save Portugal,&rdquo; the party positioned itself as the premier political vehicle opposing progressive social changes such as mass migration and gender ideology.<\/p>\n<p>Chega&rsquo;s rise came amid widespread disillusionment with Portugal&rsquo;s politics.<\/p>\n<p>This latest snap election was called after the Democratic Alliance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3341637\/portugal-braces-for-a-possible-3rd-election-in-3-years-after-government-calls-confidence-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">lost a confidence vote in March<\/a>. It was the third election in just three years.<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Luis Montenegro expressed contentment with the results as an indication that &ldquo;the people want this government and they don&rsquo;t want any other,&rdquo; but acknowledged that all parties have to be able to speak to each other and put the national interest first.<\/p>\n<p>With overseas ballots still to be counted and four seats undecided, Chega could overtake the Socialist Party and become the official opposition.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are moments in life during which God says, &lsquo;Just stop a little bit,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ventura told his supporters after the upset. &ldquo;This time, I am not going to listen. I am not going to stop until I become the prime minister of Portugal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Poland<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/poland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Poland<\/a> held the first round of its presidential election on Sunday, exposing a much narrower race than previously thought and sparking a sense of urgency on all sides ahead of the final vote.<\/p>\n<p>Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a progressive candidate backed by the Civic Platform party and Prime Minister Donald Tusk,&nbsp;narrowly won the first vote with 31.36%.<\/p>\n<p>Law and Justice party candidate Karol Nawrocki, a right-wing populist, finished just behind him at 29.54%.<\/p>\n<p>It was a much tighter first round than expected. Polls heading into election day showed Trzaskowski leading Nawrocki by up to 6%.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3370950\/europe-right-wing-populists-endure-lawfare-playbook-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"TRUMP SEES ALLIES IN SUPPRESSED RIGHT-WING POPULISTS OF EUROPE\"><strong>TRUMP SEES ALLIES IN SUPPRESSED RIGHT-WING POPULISTS OF EUROPE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This combination of photos shows Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, left, in Warsaw, Poland, March 14, 2022, and Karol Nawrocki in Szeligi near Warsaw, Poland, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo\/Czarek Sokolowski, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Slawomir Mentzen, a fresh-faced libertarian who chairs the New Hope party, took third place with 14.8%. Grzegorz Braun, an ultratraditionalist who heads the Confederation of the Polish Crown, took home 6.34% and placed fourth. Various other parties also stood candidates but failed to break 5%.<\/p>\n<p>Trzaskowski and Nawrocki will now face off in the second round of voting to determine the nation&rsquo;s next leader. Their mission until then is to scoop up voters who supported now-disqualified first-round candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Less than two weeks remain for the candidates to get back out on the campaign trail and adjust their calculus to win the June 1 election.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Romania<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/romania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Romanian<\/a> nationalists suffered a brutal defeat after Budapest Mayor Nicusor Dan clinched the presidency despite initial expectations for a right-wing cakewalk.<\/p>\n<p>Dan won the election on Sunday with 53.60% support. His opponent was George Simion, chairman of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, who received 46.40%.<\/p>\n<p>It was a stunning upset after the first round of the presidential election saw Simion clinch 40.5% in first place. Dan, who secured 20.89% in the first round, was a distant second.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Presidential candidate Nicusor Dan, center, poses behind a Romanian flag after polls closed for the second round of the country&rsquo;s presidential election redo in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Andreea Alexandru)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Most notably, Dan&rsquo;s campaign was built on a cooperative, distinctly pro-West sentiment. He is a strong believer in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nato\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">NATO<\/a> and the European Union. He is also firmly pro-Ukraine &mdash; a significant difference from his opponents.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/volodymyr-zelensky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> celebrated Dan&rsquo;s win, remarking that the new president will be a &ldquo;reliable partner&rdquo; for the war-torn country.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Dear Romanians, you can count on Ukraine as a good neighbor and partner. We can overcome any challenge if we are united and strong,&rdquo; Zelensky said. &ldquo;I look forward to further developing the strategic partnership between our friendly nations for the sake of their stability, security, and prosperity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Simion initially pushed back against Dan&rsquo;s victory, declaring himself the new president of Romania on social media. <\/p>\n<p>He later walked back that claim and conceded to Dan, but offered a rallying cry for political allies around the world.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We will continue our fight for freedom and our great values along with other patriots, sovereignists, and conservatives all over the world,&rdquo; Simion said in a video address. &ldquo;We may have lost a battle, but we will certainly not lose the war.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s been a tumultuous period in Romanian politics since last year&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3374988\/trump-jr-romania-presidential-election-calin-gorgescu-disqualification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">presidential election was voided<\/a> by the high court over allegations of Russian tampering in favor of right-wing populist Calin Georgescu.<\/p>\n<p>Romania&rsquo;s security agency released a report alleging that a foreign actor deployed paid influencers to boost Georgescu&rsquo;s profile and portray the politician in a positive light. The report also cited behavior by pro-Georgescu accounts that indicated the use of bots.<\/p>\n<p>The agency speculated that it could be the work of foreign intelligence but did not produce evidence that could confirm such an operation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3409418\/germany-reich-citizen-group-banned-leaders-arrested\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>GERMANY BANS &lsquo;REICH CITIZEN&rsquo; GROUP AND ARRESTS ITS LEADERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Conservatives in the rest of Europe and the United States expressed outrage at the election annulment, including Vice President JD Vance.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You can believe it&rsquo;s wrong for Russia to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-you-can-hear-a-pin-drop-after-vance-humiliates-eu-leaders-for-following-greta-thunberg-foisting-her-on-the-rest-of-the-world\/\" title=\"Watch: You Can Hear a Pin Drop After Vance Humiliates EU ...s for Following Greta Thunberg, Foisting Her on the Rest of the ...\">buy social media advertisements<\/a> to influence your elections. We certainly do,&rdquo; Vance said at a February address in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/germany\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Munich<\/a>. &ldquo;You can condemn it on the world stage, even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn&rsquo;t very strong to begin with.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2125901\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2125901\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Populist movements yield mixed outcomes in recent European elections<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2436567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25138862062890.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6571,8447,55542,5894,19667],"class_list":["post-2436566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-elections","tag-europe","tag-multinational","tag-politics","tag-populism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25138862062890.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2436566"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2436570,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436566\/revisions\/2436570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2436567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2436566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2436566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2436566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}