On May 18, nearly 60 million Europeans had an opportunity to cast their votes across four countries. In Portugal, citizens elected 230 members of the national parliament (Assembleia da República). Poland held the first round of its presidential election, while Romania conducted the second round of its presidential elections. Voters in Croatia faced the most complex ballot, choosing mayors, local councillors, county prefects, and members of county assemblies in local elections. As results began to roll in on Sunday evening, it quickly became clear: liberals across all four countries were in for a great night.
Let's start with Romania, where the presidential election drew international attention to a race that few initially expected to matter beyond its borders. In November, the first round of voting sent shockwaves through the political establishment, as Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian independent, and Elena Lasconi, the then-president of the liberal USR party, advanced to the second round. This meant that the election was the first since the fall of communism to see neither of the two dominant parties in Romanian politics, the Social Democrats (PSD) and the center-right National Liberals (PNL), secure a place in the presidential runoff.
However, less than two weeks later, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results, citing Georgescu’s failure to declare campaign expenditures, a legal obligation for all candidates. The ruling triggered widespread protests across the country, with demonstrators decrying what they viewed as a judicial overreach. Nevertheless, the decision stood, and a new election was scheduled for May 4. By then, Georgescu had been barred from running due to several ongoing criminal investigations.
In the revised elections, the candidates may have been different but the results were broadly similar. The candidates with the most votes in the first round of the revised elections were George Simion, a right-wing populist MP, and Nicușor Dan, the independent centrist mayor of Bucharest, supported by a large number of parties, including the liberal USR. What followed was a fiercely contested campaign that captured Europe’s attention. Political leaders and parties from across the continent weighed in, openly endorsing candidates and framing the vote as a referendum on Romania’s geopolitical direction.
On election day, Romanians turned out in the highest percentage in a presidential race since 2000. In the end, voters delivered a clear verdict: Nicușor Dan won with over 53 percent of the vote, securing the presidency and reaffirming Romania’s pro-European, pro-NATO trajectory. Celebrations erupted in Bucharest, where thousands took to the streets. For many, Dan’s victory represented a broader statement about the country’s place in Europe and the world.
A similar story is also being told over in Poland, as the country’s first round of presidential elections has set up a tight race between Rafał Trzaskowski, of the centrist Civic Platform (PO), and Karol Nawrocki of the right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS). The two candidates secured over 60 percent of the vote combined, with Trzaskowski holding a narrow lead of about two percentage points. Trzaskowski, who is the Mayor of Warsaw, also received support from the liberal Nowoczesna party. However, the main highlight from the first round in the Polish vote is the growing strength of the far right. The two far right candidates, Sławomir Mentzen (Confederation) and Grzegorz Braun (Confederation of the Polish Crown), collectively drew more than 21 percent of votes. Their supporters will be an important factor in the upcoming runoff on June 1, which is expected to be fiercely contested.
On the western edge of the continent, Portuguese voters headed to the polls in snap elections just 14 months after the previous general election. The campaign was dominated by three major issues: healthcare, which topped concerns among older voters; housing, a key issue for the younger population; and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, affecting all segments of society. Portugal has long been viewed as a two-party system, with the centre-left Socialist Party and the centre-right Social Democratic Party alternating in power since the Carnation Revolution of the 1970s.
Yet this election also saw two emerging parties challenge that dominance: the far-right Chega and the economically liberal Iniciativa Liberal. Chega ran a campaign centered on populism and fear-mongering, while Iniciativa Liberal promoted a platform focused on economic modernisation, advocating for lower taxes, reduced bureaucracy, affordable housing through deregulation, and public-private partnerships in sectors such as education, infrastructure, and healthcare. When the votes were counted, it showed Iniciativa Liberal had improved its previous result as the party secured nine seats in the new parliament. In a deeply fragmented legislature, where no party holds an outright majority, the party has positioned itself as a voice for voters disillusioned with extremes on both the left and right.
Voters across Croatia also cast their ballots in local elections. The liberal political scene, however, remained fragmented, with six liberal parties (Centar, HSLS, HNS, IDS, Fokus, and Glas) competing separately. This led to numerous instances in which multiple candidates supported by these parties contested the same position. Despite this, liberal parties achieved notable successes, securing mayoral positions and winning seats in city councils and county assemblies across the country. In Split, Croatia’s second-largest city, incumbent mayor Ivica Puljak of Centar advanced to the second round, where he will face Tomislav Šuta of the centre-right HDZ. Elsewhere, liberal candidates recorded decisive victories. Dario Hrebak, leader of HSLS, was re-elected as mayor of Bjelovar, the administrative centre of one of Croatia’s 21 counties, with over 81 percent of the vote. In Samobor, Petra Škrobot of Fokus won outright in the first round, securing nearly 60 percent of the vote. In Istria County, the regional liberal party IDS demonstrated strong support, winning mayoral races in the first round in five towns: Buje, Novigrad, Poreč, Rovinj, and Vodnjan. Finally, it is important to congratulate our colleague Gabriela Bošnjak, president of LYMEC's member organization MHL, who won a seat in the City Assembly of Zagreb.
Sunday's results were a great showing for liberal parties across Europe. The message from the voters was clear: democracy, the rule of law, and human rights are non-negotiable. However, these results cannot be a reason to sit back idly. The continued rise of far-right populism, political extremism, and anti-democratic rhetoric in many countries reminds us that our values remain under serious threat. This success should be seen not as a done job, but as motivation to keep going. It’s a reminder that defending freedom, openness, and democracy requires constant effort, and now is the time to build on this momentum!
Libertas Reports: European Super Sunday - Liberal Momentum Builds Across the Continent