Super Sunday Polls

It is not without reason that Sunday, 18 May, was regarded as an electoral “Super Sunday” when millions of voters across three European countries - Romania, Poland and Portugal decided the fortunes of candidates belonging to liberal, pro-European Union on the one hand and Far-Right, pro-Donald Trump parties on the other, vying with one another for their respective country’s top posts.

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There were widespread fears that the Far-Right would gain, particularly in Romania and Poland. But, after the ballots were counted it became clear that the Centrists held their ground in the two EU and NATO member nations bordering the war-ravaged Ukraine. This has come as a boost to the West and the EU must have heaved a deep sigh of relief that europesceptic parties have been kept at bay, at least for now. Portugal’s Centre-Right governing party also secured a parliamentary win, but it had to concede record gains to the Far-Right.

However, the signs are ominous for liberal forces since despite the Centrist parties' eventual victories, Far-Right populist forces continue to grow in all the three countries. This is the latest in a string of Far-Right surges in Europe. Last summer, EU elections saw a clear shift to the Right in the European Parliament, shaking up governments across the 27-member bloc. The mainstream political parties had to cede ground.