Far-right candidate leads in polls ahead of Romania presidential election rerun

4 min read Politics, Romania, Ukraine, V4 & Romania, Antonescu, Dan, Georgescu, Lasconi, Ponta, Russia, Simion, TikTok, Vance, von der Leyen

Romania will hold fresh presidential elections on 4 May, after its Constitutional Court annulled November's vote, citing Russian interference. However, the decision to disqualify nationalist frontrunner Calin Georgescu has seemingly propelled far-right leader George Simion into a commanding position, fuelling concerns about the direction of Romanian democracy. Generational

Poland, Czechia back 'coalition of the willing', Hungary, Slovakia align with Trump

5 min read Analysis, Balkan countries, Baltic countries, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Defence, Eastern Europe, Economy, Energy, Estonia, EU, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Politics, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, V4 & Romania, Babis, cez, Coalition of the Willing, Duda, Fiala, Fico, Gazprom, Mentzen, NATO, Nawrocki, Orban, Pavel, Peter Magyar, Putin, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, Starmer, Trump, Trzaskowski, Tusk, UN, Vance, Vucic

As political landscapes shift across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), governments are recalibrating their approaches to Ukraine, European security, and internal governance. The region remains split between pro-European integration and nationalist, often pro-Kremlin, forces: Czechia and Poland reinforce their commitments to Ukraine, while Hungary and Slovakia align with Moscow. Meanwhile,