Presidential election failure shakes pro-European parties

Romania's pro-European political parties are going through one of the most tense periods in recent years, after their candidates failed to advance to the second round of the presidential elections on May 4, 2025. The poor results have triggered a wave of internal unrest, resignation requests, calls to leave the government and demands for radical restructuring within the parties. The ruling PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition is at the center of these turbulences. The joint candidate Crin Antonescu failed to reach the decisive round, and this failure has generated harsh reactions within the two major parties. In the PSD, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is being targeted by increasingly vocal critics, with some leaders openly calling for his resignation as head of government and party. In parallel, voices emerged in the PNL talking about the need for a reconfiguration of the political direction and the breaking of the alliance with the PSD. The UDMR, on the other hand, quickly distanced itself, announcing its support for the independent candidate Nicuşor Dan, who qualified for the second round. In this troubled context, the USR was not spared the crisis either. Elena Lasconi, the party president, announced her resignation from political office yesterday, less than a year after her election. With only 2.7% obtained in the first round, her candidacy was perceived as a failure that aggravated the tensions already existing within the USR. Lasconi declared that she was leaving "with a peaceful heart", stating that she had done her duty and that she had fought a "rotten, corrupt, system that has held us captive for 35 years". He reiterated his commitment to a modern, fair and pro-European Romania, stressing that he will remain active in public life, even if he no longer holds a leadership position. Amid these developments, the USR National Bureau has called a congress for June 21, when a new president will be elected. Political sources indicate that Dominic Fritz, the mayor of Timisoara, is the favorite to take over the leadership of the party. In fact, yesterday, Dominic Fritz declared: "According to the statute, the vice-president with the most votes at the last congress becomes the interim president of the party, and this is me and I will lead the party until the election of the new president. USR has gone through a difficult, complicated period and we will have to rebuild trust between us, work on the unity of the party and the relationship with USR members, but after Nicuşor Dan wins the presidential elections. Now the most important event is the event of May 18, the second round of the presidential elections. Therefore, in the next two weeks we will not make any important decisions. The only decision we are making today is to support Nicuşor Dan in the second round of the presidential elections. The message we will send in the next two weeks is that Romania is in extremely great danger, that we are faced with a violent, extremist, anti-European candidate and that everyone must understand that his election is a threat to the well-being of every Romanian". Overall, the May 4 elections functioned as a stress test for the parties that assumed a pro-European and reformist direction. The result was clear: the electorate's lack of trust in the proposed candidates and an acute need for reconfiguration. While Crin Antonescu admitted his failure and thanked the voters, the parties that supported him are now facing a crossroads. Not only the political direction is being questioned, but also the ability of these formations to remain relevant in the Romanian political landscape, in the face of an increasingly disappointed and polarized electorate.