Following Tuesday’s debate, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took to social media in an attempt to make a strong post-debate statement. “If only two candidates remain in the race for the second round, but only one is honest, the choice should be simple,” Tusk wrote.
That “honest candidate” was quickly identified—though not by Tusk himself. George Simion, the leader of Romania’s right-wing AUR party and the clear frontrunner in Romania’s presidential election, swiftly replied on X: “Choice is simple: Karol Nawrocki.”
Choice is simple: @NawrockiKn✌️!
— 🇷🇴 George Simion 🇲🇩 (@georgesimion) May 13, 2025
Simion, who dominated the first round of Romania’s presidential election with 40.96% of the vote, is widely considered the favorite to win in the second round. His main challenger, independent candidate and Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan, secured just 20.99%, while Crin Antonescu, backed by Romania’s governing coalition, finished third with 20.07%. Romania’s runoff vote will take place on May 18—the same day as the first round of presidential elections in Poland.
In Poland, reactions to the debate were mixed but largely critical of Civic Platform candidate Rafał Trzaskowski’s performance. Even among typically supportive media figures, many described his showing as weak or lackluster. Some, avoiding direct criticism, labeled the debate “boring” or dismissed it altogether as a “patho-debate.”
Former Warsaw mayor and reprivatization-era political patron Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz went so far as to propose scrapping direct presidential elections entirely.
Wczorajsza debata upewniła mnie, że prezydent powinien być wybierany pośrednio – przez Parlament, podobnie jak to jest w Niemczech, Estonii, Grecji, Albanii, we Włoszech, na Łotwie, Malcie czy Węgrzech.
— Hanna Gronkiewicz (@hannagw) May 13, 2025