Romanian President-elect Nicusor Dan has returned a favor to political allies in Poland, addressing a mass rally in Warsaw in support of pro-EU presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski on May 25.
The visit highlights how politics in Poland and Romania have become intertwined amid wider geopolitical concerns.
Speaking to crowds waving Polish and European Union flags in bright spring sunshine, Dan said he brought “a pro-EU message, a message for the rule of law, for Poland and Romania to be aligned within the European Union and to push for the same thing, for security in the eastern area.”
Dan’s trip came a day before his inauguration and a week before a second-round runoff election in Poland.
Trzaskowski -- backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist Civic Coalition – will face Karol Nawrocki from the conservative opposition Law and Justice party.
Tangled Crosscurrents
Shortly before Romania’s second-round runoff vote on May 18, Tusk endorsed Dan with a video message recorded in Romanian.
Tusk had also warned that Russia would be “delighted” in the event of twin election victories for Dan’s nationalist opponent George Simion and Nawrocki in Poland.
His comments came after Simion had traveled to Poland to support Nawrocki.
“I want to work with President Rafal Trzaskowski, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, for a collaboration between our countries and for a strong European Union,” Dan said on May 25.
“Last Sunday we won the presidential elections in Romania. The people rejected isolationism and Russian influence," he said.
Whether these tangled crosscurrents have any impact on the Polish election, in which the candidates appear to be neck-and-neck, will become apparent when polling stations close on June 1.
Trump And Ukraine Loom Large
Both Poland and Romania border Ukraine, and the ongoing war there -- as Russia’s full-scale invasion continues -- has played an important role in both election campaigns.
Poland has been one of Ukraine's big supporters and hosts nearly one million refugees.
Nawrocki met US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 2, in what was viewed by some as an endorsement, and he has questioned Ukraine’s suitability for EU or NATO membership.
As Poland gears up for one last week of campaigning, Romania now gets down to its next political chapter.
Dan will be inaugurated on May 26, taking his oath at a joint meeting of both houses of parliament before a formal handover of power from interim president Ilie Bolojan.
It is expected that Dan will make Bolojan the new prime minister.
Dan has said his first overseas trip after taking office may be to neighboring Moldova, which shares close linguistic, cultural, and political ties with Romania. But he has also raised the possibility of visits to Brussels or Washington, “depending on needs.”
Ties with the United States were strained during the campaign, with Washington appearing to sympathize with Romania’s nationalist opposition.
Dan has said the relationship will improve. He may have a chance to work on it at the NATO summit in late June.
