ASSESSMENTS

Elections in Poland and Romania, and What Will Follow for the EU

Sep 9, 2019 | 09:00 GMT

Pawel Kukiz, leader of Poland's Kukiz' 15 party, speaks to the press in Krakow on Sept. 4, 2019, about the Polish Coalition, an alliance between his party and the Polish People's Party formed to compete in Poland's general elections this fall.

Poland's Law and Justice party is favored to win general elections in October. The ruling party's popularity among voters is forcing opposition parties, such as the party of Pawel Kukiz, shown here peaking to the press in Krakow on Sept. 4, to weigh alliances with other parties.

(ARTUR WIDAK/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Highlights

A general election in October will test whether Polish voters support their government's mildly Euroskeptic policies, or instead want to develop closer ties with the European Union.
A presidential election in Romania will add to the country's political uncertainty, as the minority government in Bucharest struggles to remain in power.
These elections in the largest countries on the European Union's eastern border will not produce dramatic changes in their foreign policies, but they could result in domestic policies that lead to renewed disputes with Brussels.

The final quarter of 2019 will be eventful in Poland and Romania, the two largest countries in the European Union's eastern border. On Oct. 13, Poland will hold a general election that will test the popularity of the conservative Law and Justice party, which has been in power since 2015. Then on Nov. 10, Romania will hold a presidential election, where conservative President Klaus Iohannis is seeking reelection. These votes are unlikely to result in meaningful changes in foreign policy for Poland and Romania, which will remain committed to EU and NATO membership. But they will shape domestic events in a way that, over time, could influence Poland's and Romania's relations with their foreign partners....

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