All the polls predict a victory for the Socialist candidate in Sunday's presidential elections in Portugal, but in practice, André Ventura, leader of the Portuguese far right, is poised to turn defeat into his greatest opportunity. momentumIn a way, the president of Chega and leader of the opposition has already won. First, because on January 19th he made history and achieved to force a second round of voting in a presidential election For the first time since 1986. And secondly, because it has brought to the forefront a dichotomy already supported by one in four Portuguese voters – a figure that could rise to a third after Sunday. The debate, also fueled by the media, has centered on whether it is necessary to continue with the democratic system born fifty years ago with the Carnation Revolution or to promote a "fourth republic." It is "the biggest change in the Portuguese political system since April 25th" of 1974, in Ventura's own words.

Romania is betting on the European Union, and Brussels is breathing a sigh of relief. Pro-Western candidate Nicusor Dan, mayor of Bucharest since 2020, will be the country's new president after securing 53.99% of the vote in the second round of elections held this Sunday. The far-right candidate, populist George Simion, finished far behind, almost 900,000 votes behind: he obtained 46.01% of the vote. Turnout in this second round rose to 64.5%, while in the first it only reached 53%.

The day after Marine Le Pen was sentenced to five years of immediate disqualification For embezzlement of public funds, French Prime Minister François Bayrou expressed his openness to reviewing the law that allowed the far-right leader to be disqualified. "In law, any criminal decision with serious consequences must be subject to appeal," Bayrou stated this Tuesday in the National Assembly. The prime minister asserted that the law raises "questions" and opened the door to "reflection."

The day after Marine Le Pen was sentenced to five years of immediate disqualification For embezzlement of public funds, Le Pen's far-right party called for a "peaceful" mobilization. The party has called for a large street rally in Paris this Sunday, open to the public. "We are showing that the will of the people is stronger with a peaceful and popular mobilization," urged Jordan Bardella, Le Pen's right-hand woman and a likely presidential candidate if the leader remains disqualified following appeals against the ruling.